|
Cayman Islands
|
| |
6770
|
| |
98-1597194
|
|
|
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization) |
| |
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number) |
| |
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
|
|
Ari Edelman, Esq.
Reed Smith LLP 599 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10022 Telephone: (212) 521-5400 |
| |
Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq.
Stuart Neuhauser, Esq. Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10105 Telephone: (212) 370-1300 |
|
| Large accelerated filer | | | ☐ | | | Accelerated filer | | | ☐ | |
| Non-accelerated filer | | | ☒ | | | Smaller reporting company | | | ☒ | |
| | | | | | | Emerging growth company | | | ☒ | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered |
| | |
Amount
to be Registered |
| | |
Proposed
Maximum Offering Price Per Unit |
| | |
Proposed
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2) |
| | |
Amount of
Registration Fee(5) |
|
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2)
|
| | |
34,500,000 units
|
| | |
$10.00
|
| | |
$345,000,000
|
| | |
$31,981.50
|
|
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3)
|
| | |
34,500,000 shares
|
| | |
—
|
| | |
—
|
| | |
— (4)
|
|
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)
|
| | |
17,250,000 warrants
|
| | |
—
|
| | |
—
|
| | |
— (4)
|
|
Total
|
| | | | | | | | | | |
$345,000,000
|
| | |
$31,981.50
|
|
| | | | | 1 | | | |
| | | | | 36 | | | |
| | | | | 37 | | | |
| | | | | 79 | | | |
| | | | | 80 | | | |
| | | | | 83 | | | |
| | | | | 84 | | | |
| | | | | 87 | | | |
| | | | | 88 | | | |
| | | | | 93 | | | |
| | | | | 123 | | | |
| | | | | 136 | | | |
| | | | | 139 | | | |
| | | | | 141 | | | |
| | | | | 165 | | | |
| | | | | 177 | | | |
| | | | | 188 | | | |
| | | | | 188 | | | |
| | | | | 188 | | |
| | |
June 30, 2021
|
| |||||||||
Balance Sheet Data:
|
| |
Actual
|
| |
As Adjusted
|
| ||||||
Working capital (deficiency)
|
| | | $ | (133,209) | | | | | $ | 1,113,701 | | |
Total assets
|
| | | $ | 146,910 | | | | | $ | 307,113,701 | | |
Total liabilities
|
| | | $ | 133,209 | | | | | $ | 12,850,000 | | |
Value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
|
| | | $ | 0 | | | | | $ | 306,000,000 | | |
Shareholders’ equity
|
| | | $ | 13,701 | | | | | $ | (11,736,299) | | |
|
Public shares
|
| | | | 30,000,000 | | |
|
Founder shares
|
| | | | 10,453,333 | | |
|
Placement shares
|
| | | | 1,360,000 | | |
|
Total shares
|
| | | | 41,813,333 | | |
|
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions)
|
| | | $ | 294,000,000 | | |
|
Initial implied value per public share
|
| | | $ | 10.00 | | |
|
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination
|
| | | $ | 7.03 | | |
| | |
Without
Exercise of Over-Allotment Option |
| |
Over-Allotment
Option Fully Exercised |
| ||||||
Gross Proceeds | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)
|
| | | $ | 300,000,000 | | | | | $ | 345,000,000 | | |
Gross proceeds from placement units offered in the private placement
|
| | | $ | 13,600,000 | | | | | $ | 14,500,000 | | |
Total gross proceeds
|
| | | $ | 313,600,000 | | | | | $ | 359,500,000 | | |
Estimated offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)
|
| | | $ | 6,000,000 | | | | | $ | 6,000,000 | | |
Legal fees and expenses
|
| | | | 250,000 | | | | | | 250,000 | | |
Printing and engraving expenses
|
| | | | 30,000 | | | | | | 30,000 | | |
Accounting fees and expenses
|
| | | | 35,000 | | | | | | 35,000 | | |
SEC/FINRA Expenses
|
| | | | 84,232 | | | | | | 84,232 | | |
Nasdaq listing and filing fees
|
| | | | 75,000 | | | | | | 75,000 | | |
Miscellaneous expenses
|
| | | | 25,768 | | | | | | 25,768 | | |
Total estimated offering expenses (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions)
|
| | | $ | 500,000 | | | | | $ | 500,000 | | |
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses
|
| | | $ | 307,100,000 | | | | | $ | 353,000,000 | | |
Held in trust account(3)
|
| | | $ | 306,000,000 | | | | | $ | 351,900,000 | | |
% of public offering size
|
| | | | 102% | | | | | | 102% | | |
Not held in trust account
|
| | | $ | 1,100,000 | | | | | $ | 1,100,000 | | |
| | |
Amount
|
| |
% of Total
|
| ||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any
business combination(7) |
| | | $ | 100,000 | | | | | | 9.09% | | |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations
|
| | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | | 6.82% | | |
Director & officer liability insurance premiums(4)
|
| | | $ | 650,000 | | | | | | 59.09% | | |
Payment for office space and administrative and support services ($10,000 per month for up to 15 months)
|
| | | $ | 150,000 | | | | | | 13.64% | | |
Nasdaq continued listing fees
|
| | | $ | 58,000 | | | | | | 5.27% | | |
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses and reserves (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income)
|
| | | $ | 67,000 | | | | | | 6.09% | | |
Total
|
| | | $ | 1,100,000 | | | | | | 100% | | |
| | |
Without
Over-allotment |
| |
With
Over-allotment |
| ||||||
Public offering price
|
| | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | |
Net tangible book value before this offering
|
| | | $ | (0.01) | | | | | $ | (0.01) | | |
Increase attributable to public shareholders and sale of the placement units
|
| | | $ | (0.98) | | | | | $ | (1.07) | | |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering
|
| | | $ | (0.99) | | | | | $ | (1.08) | | |
Dilution to public shareholders
|
| | | $ | 10.99 | | | | | $ | 11.08 | | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders
|
| | | | 109.9% | | | | | | 110.8% | | |
| | |
Shares Purchased
|
| |
Total Consideration
|
| |
Average Price
Per Share |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| | |
Number
|
| |
Percentage
|
| |
Amount
|
| |
Percentage
|
| ||||||||||||||||||
Class B ordinary shares(1)
|
| | | | 10,453,333 | | | | | | 25.0% | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | | 0.01% | | | | | $ | 0.002 | | |
Holders of placement shares(1)
|
| | | | 1,360,000 | | | | | | 3.3% | | | | | | 13,600,000 | | | | | | 4.33% | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | |
Public Shareholders
|
| | | | 30,000,000 | | | | | | 71.7% | | | | | | 300,000,000 | | | | | | 95.66% | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | |
| | | | | 41,813,333 | | | | | | 100% | | | | | $ | 313,625,000 | | | | | | 100.000% | | | | | | | | |
| | |
Without Over-
allotment |
| |
With Over-
allotment |
| ||||||
Numerator: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net tangible book value before this offering
|
| | | $ | (133,209) | | | | | $ | (133,209) | | |
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the placement units, net of expenses
|
| | | $ | 307,100,000 | | | | | | 353,000,000 | | |
Plus: Offering costs accrued in advance, excluded from tangible book value
|
| | | | 146,910 | | | | | | 146,910 | | |
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions
|
| | | | (12,000,000) | | | | | | (14,700,000) | | |
Less: Warrant liability
|
| | | | (850,000) | | | | | | (906,250) | | |
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption to maintain net tangible
assets of $5,000,001 |
| | | | (306,000,000) | | | | | | (351,900,000) | | |
| | | | $ | (11,736,299) | | | | | $ | (14,492,549) | | |
Denominator: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering
|
| | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 11,983,333 | | |
Less: Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised
|
| | | | (1,530,000) | | | | | | — | | |
Ordinary shares included in the placement units
|
| | | | 1,360,000 | | | | | | 1,450,000 | | |
Ordinary shares underlying the rights to be included in the public units
|
| | | | 30,000,000 | | | | | | 34,500,000 | | |
Less: Shares subject to redemption
|
| | | | (30,000,000) | | | | | | (34,500,000) | | |
| | | | | 11,813,333 | | | | | | 13,433,333 | | |
| | |
June 30, 2021
|
| |||||||||
| | |
Actual
|
| |
As Adjusted
|
| ||||||
Notes payable to related party
|
| | | $ | 81,534 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Deferred underwriting commissions
|
| | | | — | | | | | | 12,000,000 | | |
Warrant liability
|
| | | | — | | | | | | 850,000 | | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and 30,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, respectively
|
| | | | — | | | | | | 306,000,000 | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted.
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 11,983,333 and 10,453,333 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively.
|
| | | | 1,198 | | | | | | 1,045 | | |
Additional paid-in capital
|
| | | | 23,802 | | | | | | — | | |
Accumulated deficit
|
| | | | (11,299) | | | | | | (11,737,344) | | |
Total shareholders’ equity
|
| | | | 13,701 | | | | | | (11,736,299) | | |
Total capitalization
|
| | | $ | 95,235 | | | | | $ | 307,113,701 | | |
| | | |
Redemptions in connection with
Our Initial Business Combination |
| |
Other Permitted Purchases of
Public Shares by Our Affiliates |
| |
Redemption if We Fail to
Complete an Initial Business Combination |
|
|
Calculation of redemption price
|
| |
Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote.
In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to
|
| |
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination.
Such purchases will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust
|
| | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | |
| | | |
Redemptions in connection with
Our Initial Business Combination |
| |
Other Permitted Purchases of
Public Shares by Our Affiliates |
| |
Redemption if We Fail to
Complete an Initial Business Combination |
|
| | | | be $10.20 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | | | account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | | | | |
|
Impact to remaining shareholders
|
| | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | | | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | | | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder after such redemptions. | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
|
Escrow of offering proceeds
|
| | $306,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement units will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | | | $253,800,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker- dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | |
|
Investment of net proceeds
|
| | $306,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement units held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | | | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | |
|
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds
|
| | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | | | Interest income on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | |
|
Limitation on fair market value or net assets of target business
|
| | The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting commissions held in trust and | | | The fair market value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
| | | | taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our securities are not then listed on the for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net assets test. | | | | |
|
Trading of securities issued
|
| | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Cantor informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. | | | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | |
| | | |
If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.
The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
|
| | | |
|
Exercise of the warrants
|
| | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and twelve months from the closing of this offering. | | | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | |
|
Election to remain an investor
|
| | We will provide our public shareholders with the | | | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
| | | |
opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then- outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and
|
| | business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
| | | | vote at a quorate general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice be given of any such general meeting. | | | | |
|
Business combination deadline
|
| | If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then- outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | | | If an acquisition has not been completed within 15 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
|
Release of funds
|
| |
Except for the withdrawal of interest income (if any) to pay our taxes, if any, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of:
(i) the completion of our initial business combination,
(ii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law, and
(iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering or (A) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
|
| | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | |
|
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote
|
| | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder | | | Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. | |
| | | |
Terms of Our Offering
|
| |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
|
|
| | | | or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. | | | | |
|
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
|
| | We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name”, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. | | | Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership. | |
Name
|
| |
Age
|
| |
Position
|
|
Richard N. Peretz | | | 59 | | | Executive Chairman | |
Hooman Yazhari | | | 48 | | | Vice Chairman | |
Ben Baldanza | | | 59 | | | Chief Executive Officer | |
Jeff Rogers | | | 58 | | | President | |
Philippe J. Kurzweil | | | 35 | | | Chief Financial Officer | |
Paul P. Jebely | | | 40 | | | Independent Director | |
Brad Stewart | | | 44 | | | Independent Director* | |
Parizad Olver Parchi | | | 41 | | | Independent Director* | |
Individual
|
| |
Entity
|
| |
Entity’s Business
|
| |
Affiliation
|
|
Richard N. Peretz | | |
•
Electric Last Mile, Inc.
|
| |
•
Electrical vehicle company
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
Tribe Capital Growth Corp. I
|
| |
•
Special purpose acquisition company focusing on the technology sector
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
Tribe Capital Growth Corp. II
|
| |
•
Special purpose acquisition company focusing on the technology sector
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
Altus Power America, Inc.
|
| |
•
Clean energy commercial and industrial sector
|
| |
•
Director nominee
|
|
| | |
•
Nauto, Inc.
|
| |
•
Artificial intelligence-enabled fleet services
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
9th Gear Technologies, Inc.
|
| |
•
Tech-enabled foreign exchange trading platform
|
| |
•
Advisor
|
|
| | |
•
Playground Global
|
| |
•
Venture capital
|
| |
•
Venture Partner
|
|
Hooman Yazhari | | |
•
Mobility Capital
|
| |
•
Venture capital
|
| |
•
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
| | |
•
Bain & Company
|
| |
•
Consulting
|
| |
•
Senior Advisor
|
|
| | |
•
Voyager Aviation
|
| |
•
Global aircraft lessor
|
| |
•
Non-Executive Director
|
|
| | |
•
Beyond Capital Fund
|
| |
•
Investment fund
|
| |
•
Co-Founder and Chairman
|
|
| | |
•
Lazard Financial Advisors
|
| |
•
Advisory firm
|
| |
•
Advisor
|
|
B. Ben Baldanza | | |
•
Diemacher LLC
|
| |
•
Advisory firm
|
| |
•
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
| | |
•
JetBlue Airways
|
| |
•
Airline
|
| |
•
Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
|
|
| | |
•
GoAir Limited
|
| |
•
Airline
|
| |
•
Director and Vice Chairman
|
|
| | |
•
Six Flags Entertainment
|
| |
•
Entertainment
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
All My Sons Moving
|
| |
•
Moving and storage
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
| | |
•
Aurora Parts
|
| |
•
Provider of trailer parts
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
Jeff Rogers | | |
•
TruckPark
|
| |
•
Management platform for trucking industry
|
| |
•
Strategic Advisor
|
|
| | |
•
Red Arts Capital
|
| |
•
Private equity
|
| |
•
Operating Advisor
|
|
Brad Stewart | | |
•
Fair.com
|
| |
•
Automotive and technology
|
| |
•
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
|
Individual
|
| |
Entity
|
| |
Entity’s Business
|
| |
Affiliation
|
|
Parizad Olver Parchi | | |
•
Panorama Aero
|
| |
•
Aerospace
|
| |
•
Founder, Managing Partner, and Director
|
|
| | |
•
SMASS, Inc.
|
| |
•
Aircraft
|
| |
•
Director
|
|
Paul P. Jebely | | |
•
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
|
| |
•
Legal
|
| |
•
Managing Partner
|
|
| | |
Prior to Offering
|
| |
After Offering
|
| ||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
|
| |
Amount and
Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2) |
| |
Approximate
Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares |
| |
Amount and
Nature of Beneficial Ownership(3) |
| |
Approximate
Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares |
| ||||||||||||
Semper Paratus Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)(4)
|
| | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 100.00% | | | | | | 11,663,333 | | | | | | 27.89% | | |
Phillippe J. Kurzweil(4)
|
| | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 100.00% | | | | | | 11,663,333 | | | | | | 27.89% | | |
Brad Stewart
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Parizad Olver Parchi
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Paul P. Jebely
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Richard N. Peretz
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Hooman Yazhari
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Ben Baldanza
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Jeff Rogers
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (8 individuals)
|
| | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 100.00% | | | | | | 11,663,333 | | | | | | 27.89% | | |
| | |
Fair Market Value of Class A Ordinary Shares
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Redemption Date
|
| |
≤
|
| | | | |
≥
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(period to expiration of warrants)
|
| |
$10.00
|
| |
$11.00
|
| |
$12.00
|
| |
$13.00
|
| |
$14.00
|
| |
$15.00
|
| |
$16.00
|
| |
$17.00
|
| |
$18.00
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
60 months
|
| | | | 0.261 | | | | | | 0.281 | | | | | | 0.297 | | | | | | 0.311 | | | | | | 0.324 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.358 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
57 months
|
| | | | 0.257 | | | | | | 0.277 | | | | | | 0.294 | | | | | | 0.310 | | | | | | 0.324 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.358 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
54 months
|
| | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.272 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.307 | | | | | | 0.322 | | | | | | 0.335 | | | | | | 0.347 | | | | | | 0.357 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
51 months
|
| | | | 0.246 | | | | | | 0.268 | | | | | | 0.287 | | | | | | 0.304 | | | | | | 0.320 | | | | | | 0.333 | | | | | | 0.346 | | | | | | 0.357 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
48 months
|
| | | | 0.241 | | | | | | 0.263 | | | | | | 0.283 | | | | | | 0.301 | | | | | | 0.317 | | | | | | 0.332 | | | | | | 0.344 | | | | | | 0.356 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
45 months
|
| | | | 0.235 | | | | | | 0.258 | | | | | | 0.279 | | | | | | 0.298 | | | | | | 0.315 | | | | | | 0.330 | | | | | | 0.343 | | | | | | 0.356 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
42 months
|
| | | | 0.228 | | | | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.274 | | | | | | 0.294 | | | | | | 0.312 | | | | | | 0.328 | | | | | | 0.342 | | | | | | 0.355 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
39 months
|
| | | | 0.221 | | | | | | 0.246 | | | | | | 0.269 | | | | | | 0.290 | | | | | | 0.309 | | | | | | 0.325 | | | | | | 0.340 | | | | | | 0.354 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
36 months
|
| | | | 0.213 | | | | | | 0.239 | | | | | | 0.263 | | | | | | 0.285 | | | | | | 0.305 | | | | | | 0.323 | | | | | | 0.339 | | | | | | 0.353 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
33 months
|
| | | | 0.205 | | | | | | 0.232 | | | | | | 0.257 | | | | | | 0.280 | | | | | | 0.301 | | | | | | 0.320 | | | | | | 0.337 | | | | | | 0.352 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
30 months
|
| | | | 0.196 | | | | | | 0.224 | | | | | | 0.250 | | | | | | 0.274 | | | | | | 0.297 | | | | | | 0.316 | | | | | | 0.335 | | | | | | 0.351 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
27 months
|
| | | | 0.185 | | | | | | 0.214 | | | | | | 0.242 | | | | | | 0.268 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.313 | | | | | | 0.332 | | | | | | 0.350 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
24 months
|
| | | | 0.173 | | | | | | 0.204 | | | | | | 0.233 | | | | | | 0.260 | | | | | | 0.285 | | | | | | 0.308 | | | | | | 0.329 | | | | | | 0.348 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
21 months
|
| | | | 0.161 | | | | | | 0.193 | | | | | | 0.223 | | | | | | 0.252 | | | | | | 0.279 | | | | | | 0.304 | | | | | | 0.326 | | | | | | 0.347 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
18 months
|
| | | | 0.146 | | | | | | 0.179 | | | | | | 0.211 | | | | | | 0.242 | | | | | | 0.271 | | | | | | 0.298 | | | | | | 0.322 | | | | | | 0.345 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
15 months
|
| | | | 0.130 | | | | | | 0.164 | | | | | | 0.197 | | | | | | 0.230 | | | | | | 0.262 | | | | | | 0.291 | | | | | | 0.317 | | | | | | 0.342 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
12 months
|
| | | | 0.111 | | | | | | 0.146 | | | | | | 0.181 | | | | | | 0.216 | | | | | | 0.250 | | | | | | 0.282 | | | | | | 0.312 | | | | | | 0.339 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
9 months
|
| | | | 0.090 | | | | | | 0.125 | | | | | | 0.162 | | | | | | 0.199 | | | | | | 0.237 | | | | | | 0.272 | | | | | | 0.305 | | | | | | 0.336 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
6 months
|
| | | | 0.065 | | | | | | 0.099 | | | | | | 0.137 | | | | | | 0.178 | | | | | | 0.219 | | | | | | 0.259 | | | | | | 0.296 | | | | | | 0.331 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
3 months
|
| | | | 0.034 | | | | | | 0.065 | | | | | | 0.104 | | | | | | 0.150 | | | | | | 0.197 | | | | | | 0.243 | | | | | | 0.286 | | | | | | 0.326 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
0 months
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 0.042 | | | | | | 0.115 | | | | | | 0.179 | | | | | | 0.233 | | | | | | 0.281 | | | | | | 0.323 | | | | | | 0.361 | | |
Underwriters
|
| |
Number of Units
|
| |||
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | | | | | | | |
Total
|
| | | | 30,000,000 | | |
| | |
Paid By Semper Paratus
Acquisition Corporation |
| |||||||||
| | |
No
Exercise |
| |
Full
Exercise |
| ||||||
Per Unit(1)
|
| | | $ | 0.60 | | | | | $ | 0.60 | | |
Total(1) | | | | $ | 18,000,000 | | | | | $ | 20,700,000 | | |
| | |
Page
|
| |||
| | | | F-2 | | | |
Financial Statements: | | | | | | | |
| | | | F-3 | | | |
| | | | F-4 | | | |
| | | | F-5 | | | |
| | | | F-6 | | | |
| | | | F-7 | | |
| | |
As of June 30,
2021 |
| |
April 30,
2021 |
| ||||||
| | |
(unaudited)
|
| | | | | | | |||
ASSETS
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
CURRENT ASSETS | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Prepaid expenses
|
| | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 8,652 | | |
Total current assets
|
| | | | — | | | | | | 8,652 | | |
OTHER ASSETS | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Deferred offering costs
|
| | | $ | 146,910 | | | | | $ | 34,787 | | |
Total other assets
|
| | | | 146,910 | | | | | | 34,787 | | |
TOTAL ASSETS
|
| | | $ | 146,910 | | | | | $ | 43,439 | | |
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
CURRENT LIABILITIES | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
|
| | | $ | 814 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Accrued offering costs
|
| | | | 50,861 | | | | | | — | | |
Note payable – related party
|
| | | | 81,534 | | | | | | 25,422 | | |
Total current liabilities
|
| | | | 133,209 | | | | | | 25,422 | | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES
|
| | | | 133,209 | | | | | | 25,422 | | |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class A ordinary shares; $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none
issued and outstanding |
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class B ordinary shares; $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 11,983,333 issued and outstanding(1),(2)
|
| | | | 1,198 | | | | | | 1,198 | | |
Additional paid-in capital
|
| | | | 23,802 | | | | | | 23,802 | | |
Accumulated deficit
|
| | | | (11,299) | | | | | | (6,983) | | |
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
| | | | 13,701 | | | | | | 18,017 | | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
| | | $ | 146,910 | | | | | $ | 43,439 | | |
| | |
For the period
April 21, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 |
| |
For the period
April 21, 2021 (inception) through April 30, 2021 |
| ||||||
| | |
(unaudited)
|
| | | | | | | |||
EXPENSES | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
General and administrative expenses
|
| | | $ | 11,299 | | | | | $ | 6,983 | | |
Total expenses
|
| | | | 11,299 | | | | | | 6,983 | | |
NET LOSS
|
| | | $ | (11,299) | | | | | $ | (6,983) | | |
WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING, BASIC AND DILUTED(1),(2)
|
| | | | 10,453,333 | | | | | | 10,453,333 | | |
BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER SHARE
|
| | | $ | (0.00) | | | | | $ | (0.00) | | |
| | |
Ordinary shares
|
| |
Additional
paid-in capital |
| |
Accumulated
deficit |
| |
Total
shareholder’s equity |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | |
Class A
|
| |
Class B
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | |
Shares
|
| |
Amount
|
| |
Shares
|
| |
Amount
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, April 21, 2021 (inception)
|
| | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1),(2)
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 1,198 | | | | | | 23,802 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 25,000 | | |
Net loss
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | (6,983) | | | | | | (6,983) | | |
Balance, April 30, 2021
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | | 1,198 | | | | | | 23,802 | | | | | | (6,983) | | | | | | 18,017 | | |
Net loss
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | (4,316) | | | | | | (4,316) | | |
Balance, June 30, 2021 (unaudited)
|
| | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | 11,983,333 | | | | | $ | 1,198 | | | | | $ | 23,802 | | | | | $ | (11,299) | | | | | $ | 13,701 | | |
| | |
For the period
April 21, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 |
| |
For the period
April 21, 2021 (inception) through April 30, 2021 |
| ||||||
| | |
(unaudited)
|
| | | | | | | |||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net loss
|
| | | $ | (11,299) | | | | | $ | (6,983) | | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
General and administrative expenses paid by affiliate
|
| | | | 10,485 | | | | | | 6,983 | | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable
|
| | | | 814 | | | | | | — | | |
Net cash flows used in operating activities
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
NET CHANGE IN CASH
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
CASH, END OF PERIOD
|
| | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Payment of deferred offering costs by note payable – related party
|
| | | $ | 71,049 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs
|
| | | $ | 50,861 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Payment of deferred offering costs by the Sponsor in exchange for the issuance of Class B ordinary shares
|
| | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | |
|
SEC expenses
|
| | | $ | 31,981.50 | | |
|
FINRA expenses
|
| | | | 52,250.00 | | |
|
Accounting fees and expenses
|
| | | | 35,000.00 | | |
|
Printing and engraving expenses
|
| | | | 30,000.00 | | |
|
Legal fees and expenses
|
| | | | 250,000.00 | | |
|
Nasdaq listing and filing fees
|
| | | | 75,000.00 | | |
|
Miscellaneous expenses
|
| | | | 25,768.50 | | |
| Total | | | | $ | 500,000.00 | | |
| | | | SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION | | |||
| | | | By: | | |
/s/ B. Ben Baldanza
Name: B. Ben Baldanza
Title: Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
Signature
|
| |
Name
|
| |
Title
|
| |
Date
|
|
|
/s/ B. Ben Baldanza
|
| | B. Ben Baldanza | | | Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | | |
October 22, 2021
|
|
|
/s/ Philippe J. Kurzweil
|
| | Philippe J. Kurzweil | | |
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
| |
October 22, 2021
|
|
|
*
|
| | Richard N. Peretz | | | Executive Chairman | | |
October 22, 2021
|
|
|
*
|
| | Hooman Yazhari | | | Vice Chairman | | |
October 22, 2021
|
|
|
*
|
| | Paul P. Jebely | | | Director | | |
October 22, 2021
|
|
| * | | | By: | | |
/s/ Phillippe J. Kurzweil
Name: Phillippe J. Kurzweil
Title: Attorney-in-Fact |
| | | |
Exhibit 1.1
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
between
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION
and
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
Dated: [*], 2021
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
New York, New York
[*], 2021
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
499 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
As Representative of the Several Underwriters
named on Schedule A hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor Fitzgerald” or the “Representative”) and with the other underwriters named on Schedule A hereto (if any), for which the Representative is acting as representative (the Representative and such other underwriters being collectively referred to herein as the “Underwriters” or, each underwriter individually, an “Underwriter,” provided that if only Cantor Fitzgerald is listed on such Schedule A, any references to Underwriters shall refer exclusively to Cantor Fitzgerald)) as follows:
1. Purchase and Sale of Securities.
1.1 Firm Securities.
1.1.1 Purchase of Firm Units. On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, and the Underwriters agree to purchase from the Company, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of 30,000,000 units (the “Firm Units”) of the Company, as set forth opposite the respective names of the Underwriters on Schedule A hereto, at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions and the Deferred Underwriting Commission described in Section 1.3 below) of $9.40 per Firm Unit. The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (the “Offering”) at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, of the Company (the “Ordinary Share”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant (the “Warrants”). The Ordinary Shares and the Warrants included in the Firm Units will trade separately on the fifty second (52nd) day following the date hereof (or if such date is not a Business Day (as defined in Section 1.1.2), the following Business Day) unless the Representative determines to allow earlier separate trading. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, in no event will the Ordinary Shares and the Warrants included in the Firm Units trade separately until (i) the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement (as defined in Section 1.4.2) and updated financial information with respect to any proceeds the Company receives from the exercise of the Over-allotment Option (defined below) if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company has filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K and has issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each whole Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, commencing on the later of twelve months from the Closing Date (as defined below) or 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”) and expiring on the five year anniversary of the consummation by the Company of its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption of the Ordinary Shares or liquidation of the Company.
1.1.2 Payment and Delivery. Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second (2nd) Business Day (as defined below) following the commencement of trading of the Units, or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at the offices of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, counsel to the Underwriters (“EG&S”), or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units is called the “Closing Date.” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $306,000,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units and the sale of Placement Units (as defined in Section 1.4.2) shall be deposited in the trust account (“Trust Account”) established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Shareholders (as defined below), as described in the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1) pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”). The funds deposited in the Trust Account shall include an aggregate of $12,000,000($0.40 per Firm Unit), payable to the Representative as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The remaining proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units (less commissions and actual expense payments or other fees payable pursuant to this Agreement), if any, shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If delivery is not made through the facilities of DTC, the Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery, at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver any of the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term “Public Shareholders” means the holders of Ordinary Shares sold as part of the Units in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including the Sponsor (defined below) and any officer or director of the Company, to the extent, he, she or it acquires such Ordinary Shares in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such Ordinary Shares). “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, that for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York are generally open for use by customers on such day.
1.2 Over-Allotment Option.
1.2.1 Option Units. The Representative is hereby granted an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional 4,500,000 units (the “Option Units”), the gross proceeds of which will be deposited in the Trust Account, solely for the purposes of covering any over-allotments, if any, in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall be identical in all respects to the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall, at the Representative’s election, be purchased for each account of the several Underwriters in the same proportion as the number of Firm Units, set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name on Schedule A hereto, bears to the total number of Firm Units (subject to adjustment by the Representative to eliminate fractions). The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Units,” and the Units, the Ordinary Shares, the Warrants included in the Units, and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Public Securities.” No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representative to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit will be the same price per Firm Unit set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof.
1.2.2 Exercise of Option. The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option Units within 45 days after the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof). The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company by the Representative, which must be confirmed in accordance with Section 10.1 herein setting forth the number of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units (the “Option Closing Date”), which will not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time and in such other manner as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of EG&S or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Option Units does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice. Upon exercise of the Over-allotment Option, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.
1.2.3 Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: (i) $10.00 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Representative and (ii) such amount from the sale of the additional Placement Units so that the amount to be deposited in trust equals $10.20 per Option Unit sold. The amount of the payments for the Units to be deposited in the Trust Account will include $0.60 per Option Unit (up to $2,700,000 payable to the Representative, as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative requests in writing not less than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and will be made available to the Representative for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full Business Day prior to such Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option Units except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for applicable Option Units.
1.3 Deferred Underwriting Commission.
1.3.1 The Underwriters agree that 4.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units ($12,000,000) and 6.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Option Units (up to $2,700,000 ) (collectively, the “Deferred Underwriting Commission”) will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Representative for its own account upon consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. The Trust Agreement shall provide that the trustee is required to obtain a joint written instruction signed by both the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including the payment of the Deferred Underwriting Commission from the Trust Account, prior to commencing any liquidation of the assets of the Trust Account in connection with the consummation of any Business Combination, and such provision of the Trust Agreement shall not be permitted to be amended without the prior written consent of the Representative. In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination and CST, as the trustee of the Trust Account (in this context, the “Trustee”), commences liquidation of the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Representative agrees that: (i) the Representative shall forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Underwriting Commission, including any accrued interest thereon; and (ii) the Deferred Underwriting Commission, together with all other amounts on deposit in the Trust Account, shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis among the Public Shareholders. The Representative shall have the right to agree to any further modifications to the Deferred Underwriting Commission on behalf of the Underwriters and any decisions relating to such modifications shall be made exclusively by the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters.
1.4 Private Placements.
1.4.1 Founder Shares. In April 2021, Semper Paratus Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) paid an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 to subscribe for 8,625,000 of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Founder Shares”), in a private placement exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). In May 2021, the Sponsor allocated 25,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent director and each of the Company’s independent director nominees, in exchange for the payment of $84, and (ii) 30,000 Founder Shares to the Chief Financial Officer in exchange for the payment of $100 (collectively, the “Allocated Founder Shares”). In August 2021, the Company effected a dividend of approximately 0.3628 shares for each outstanding Founder Share, such that the Sponsor owned an aggregate of 11,754,150 Founder Shares. In October 2021, the Company effected a dividend of approximately 0.0195 shares for each outstanding Founder Share, such that the Sponsor owned an aggregate of 11,983,333 Founder Shares. No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the purchase of Founder Shares. Except as described in the Registration Statement, none of the Founder Shares may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor or any member of the Company’s management team until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of the Business Combination and (B) subsequent to the Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. The holders of Founder Shares shall have no right to any liquidating distributions with respect to any portion of the Founder Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination. The holders of the Founder Shares shall not have redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares. In the event that the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Sponsor will be required to forfeit such number of Founder Shares (up to 1,530,000 Founder Shares) such that the Founder Shares then outstanding will comprise 25% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Over-allotment Option (including any Placement Shares (defined below)). None of the Allocated Founder Shares shall be subject to forfeiture in the event the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised.
1.4.2 Unit Private Placement. Simultaneously with the Closing Date, the Sponsor and the Representative will purchase from the Company pursuant to Purchase Agreements (as defined in Section 2.21.2 hereof) an aggregate of 1,360,000 units (or up to 1,450,000 units if the Over-allotment Option is exercised in full) (1,210,000 units, or up to 1,300,000 units if the Over-allotment Option is exercised in full, by the Sponsor and 150,000 units by the Representative), which units are identical to the Firm Units, subject to certain exceptions (collectively, the “Placement Units”), at a purchase price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration under the Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Act. The private placement of the Placement Units is referred to herein as the “Unit Private Placement.” None of the Placement Units nor the underlying Ordinary Shares (“Placement Shares”) and Warrants (“Placement Warrants”) may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor, the Representative or their permitted transferees until thirty (30) days after consummation of a Business Combination. Certain proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units shall be deposited into the Trust Account. The Representative acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Units to be purchased by the Representative and the underlying component securities will be deemed compensation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and will therefore be subject to lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of the Offering, subject to certain limited exceptions, pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1). Accordingly, the Placement Units and the underlying component securities may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated nor may they be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of the Offering except to any FINRA member participating in the Offering and the officers or partners, registered persons or affiliates thereof, if all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction for the remainder of the time period.
1.4.3 The Placement Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants included within the Placement Units and Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included within the Placement Units are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Placement Securities”. No underwriting discounts, commissions, or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Placement Securities. The Placement Units are identical to the Firm Units except that the Placement Units (i) are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in the Prospectus (as defined below), and (ii) the Placement Units will not be subject to any redemption rights or any rights to distributions from the Trust Account (a) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (b) if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter Documents or (c) upon liquidation prior to, or upon the expiration of, such time period. Other than to a permitted transferee, none of the Placement Securities may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor or Cantor Fitzgerald until 30 days after consummation of a Business Combination. The Public Securities, the Placement Securities, and the Founder Shares are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Securities”. Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed that it shall have the right to exercise Placement Warrants until and shall forfeit to the Company for cancellation any Placement Warrants held by it on the date that is five years after the Effective Date.
1.5 Working Capital. Upon consummation of the Offering, it is intended that approximately $1,100,000 of the proceeds from the Offering and Unit Private Placement will be available to the Company and held outside of the Trust Account to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.
1.6 Interest Income. Prior to the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, interest earned on the Trust Account may be released to the Company from the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement to pay any taxes incurred by the Company and up to $100,000 for the liquidation expenses, all as more fully described in the Prospectus.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:
2.1 Filing of Registration Statement.
2.1.1 Pursuant to the Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-260113), including any related preliminary prospectus (“Preliminary Prospectus”), including any prospectus that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement), for the registration of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants under the Act, which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Regulations”) of the Commission under the Act. The conditions for use of Form S-1 to register the Offering under the Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied. Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement becomes effective (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, “Time of Sale,” as used in the Act, means 5:00 p.m. New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. Prior to the Time of Sale, the Company prepared a Preliminary Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on [*], 2021, for distribution by the Underwriters (such Preliminary Prospectus used most recently prior to the Time of Sale, the “Sale Preliminary Prospectus”). If the Company has filed, or is required pursuant to the terms hereof to file, a Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering additional securities of any type or an amendment to a Registration Statement (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), then, unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Other than a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which, if filed, becomes effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been registered for public sale under the Act pursuant to the Registration Statement and, if any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed, will be duly registered for public sale under the Act with the filing of such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof. If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representative determines that at the Time of Sale, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the Company and the Representative have agreed to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then the Sale Preliminary Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.
2.1.2 Pursuant to the Exchange Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File Number 001-[*]) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Units, the Ordinary Shares and the Warrants. The registration of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof and the Units, the Ordinary Shares and the Warrants have been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.
2.1.3 No Stop Orders, Etc. Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any federal, state, or other regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, or Prospectus or any part thereof, or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.
2.2 Disclosures in Registration Statement.
2.2.1 10b-5 Representation. At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the time of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations. The Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date and the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Sale Preliminary Prospectus, as of the Time of Sale (or such subsequent Time of Sale pursuant to Section 2.1.1), did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. When any Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement for the registration of the Public Securities or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Regulations) and when any amendment thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied or will have been corrected in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Act and the Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representation and warranty made in this Section 2.2.1 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Underwriters expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of the Underwriters consists solely of the following: the names of the Underwriters, the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances contained in the fourth paragraph of the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information with respect to short positions and stabilizing transactions contained in the twentieth through twenty-fourth paragraphs of the section entitled “Underwriting” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters” (such information, collectively, the “Underwriters’ Information”).
2.2.2 Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein in all material respects and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement, Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or attached as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) that is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought, and no such agreement or instrument has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any other party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.
2.2.3 Prior Securities Transactions. No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.
2.2.4 Regulations. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, foreign, state, and local regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
2.3 Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.
2.3.1 No Material Adverse Change. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company, (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) no member of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) or management has resigned from any position with the Company and (iv) no event or occurrence has taken place which materially impairs, or would likely materially impair, with the passage of time, the ability of the members of the Board of Directors or management to act in their capacities with the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.3.2 Recent Securities Transactions. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its share capital.
2.4 Independent Accountants. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, Marcum LLP (“Marcum”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of, and is included in, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act, the Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, Marcum is currently registered with the PCAOB. Marcum has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.
2.5 Financial Statements; Statistical Data.
2.5.1 Financial Statements. The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules (if any) included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position, the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. The Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X or Form S-1 that have not been included as required.
2.5.2 Statistical Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data materially agree with the sources from which they are derived.
2.6 Authorized Capital; Options. The Company had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date or on the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the adjusted share capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell Ordinary Shares or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.
2.7 Valid Issuance of Securities.
2.7.1 Outstanding Securities. All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities was issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized and outstanding securities of the Company conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. All offers and sales and any transfers of the outstanding securities of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such securities, exempt from such registration requirements.
2.7.2 Securities Sold. The Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued, will be fully paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Public Securities has been duly and validly taken. The form of certificates for the Securities conform to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and applicable securities laws. The Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. When paid for and issued, the Warrants included in the Units will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue and deliver the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such Warrants are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the Warrants and upon payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms thereof and the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23) such Ordinary Shares will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.
2.7.3 Placement Securities.
2.7.3.1 The Placement Units constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof, and are, or will be, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
2.7.3.2 The Placement Warrants constitute, valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof, and are, or will be, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
2.7.3.3 The Placement Shares have been reserved for issuance and, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Placement Units, will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued and upon payment therefor, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.
2.7.3.4 The Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Placement Warrants have been reserved for issuance and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Placement Warrants and the Warrant Agreement, such Ordinary Shares, will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued and upon payment therefor, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.
2.7.4 No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be or may be “integrated” pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the Offering.
2.8 Registration Rights of Third Parties. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.
2.9 Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements. This Agreement, the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23), the Trust Agreement, the Services Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.3), the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.4), the Insider Letter (as defined in Section 2.21.1) and the Purchase Agreements (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered, will constitute the valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) with respect to this Agreement only, as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
2.10 No Conflicts, Etc. The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject except pursuant to the Trust Agreement; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended of the Company, each as may be amended (collectively, the “Charter Documents”); or (iii) violate any existing applicable statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or business constituted as of the date hereof.
2.11 No Defaults; Violations. No default or violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter Documents or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.
2.12 Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.
2.12.1 Conduct of Business. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business for the purposes as described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on the Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Since its formation, the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with its formation and in furtherance of the Offering.
2.12.2 Transactions Contemplated Herein. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection herewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization, or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic, is required for the valid issuance, sale, and delivery, of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by the Transaction Documents and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws, the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), and the rules and regulations promulgated by FINRA.
2.13 D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s officers, directors and shareholders (the “Insiders”) and provided to the Representative and its counsel and the biographies of the Insiders contained in the Registration Statement, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus (to the extent a biography is contained) is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete.
2.14 Litigation; Governmental Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened against or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider or any shareholder or member of an Insider that has not been disclosed, that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Questionnaires.
2.15 Good Standing. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, assets, prospects, business, operations or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
2.16 No Contemplation of a Business Combination. As of the date of this Agreement, the Company has not identified any specific Business Combination target (each a “Target Business”) and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target.
2.17 Transactions Requiring Disclosure to FINRA.
2.17.1 Finder’s Fees. There are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.
2.17.2.Payments Within 180 Days. The Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; or (ii) any “participating member,” as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(15) (a “Participating Member”), within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement, other than the prior payments to the Representative in connection with the Offering. The Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly, to anyone who is a Participating Member within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement. No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any Participating Member. Except with respect to the Representative in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of any ”underwriting compensation,” as defined in FINRA Rule 5110, by any Participating Member.
2.17.3. FINRA Affiliation. No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any Participating Member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). The Company will advise the Representative and EG&S if it learns that any officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Participating Member.
2.17.4. Share Ownership. No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities is an owner of shares or other securities of any Participating Member (other than securities purchased on the open market).
2.17.5. Loans. No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities has made a subordinated loan to any Participating Member.
2.17.6. Proceeds of the Offering. No proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities (excluding underwriting compensation) or the Placement Units will be paid to any Participating Member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a Participating Member, except as specifically authorized herein.
2.17.7. Conflicts of Interest. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no Participating Member has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” exists when a Participating Member and/or its associated persons, parent or affiliates in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred equity.
2.18 Taxes.
2.18.1 There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision of the United States, or under the laws of any non-U.S. jurisdictions, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities.
2.18.2 The Company has filed all U.S. federal, state and local, and non-U.S., tax returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof in a timely manner or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. The Company has paid all taxes shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable. The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 2.5.1 above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability of the Company has not been finally determined.
2.19 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Anti-Money Laundering; Patriot Act.
2.19.1 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of the Insiders or any other person acting on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company. The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
2.19.2 Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with (i) the requirements of the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control and (ii) applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar money laundering statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Federal governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened.
2.19.3 Patriot Act. Neither the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider has violated the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended, or Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.
2.20 Officers’ Certificate. Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company in connection with the Offering and delivered to the Representative or to EG&S shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
2.21 Agreements With Insiders.
2.21.1 Insider Letter. The Company has caused to be duly executed a legally binding and enforceable agreement (except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification, contribution or non-compete provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought), a form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letter”), pursuant to which each of the Insiders of the Company agree to certain matters. The Insider Letter shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of the Representative.
2.21.2 Purchase Agreements. Each of the Sponsor and the Representative have executed and delivered a Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, the form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Purchase Agreements”), pursuant to which the Sponsor and Representative will, among other things, on the Closing Date, consummate the purchase of and deliver the purchase price for the Placement Units. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreements, (i) the Sponsor and Representative have waived any and all rights and claims they may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Placement Units, (ii) certain of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units to the Sponsor will be deposited by the Company on or prior to the Effective Date in the Trust Account, in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and (iii) certain of the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units to Cantor Fitzgerald will be deposited on or prior to the Closing Date in the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, in each case as provided for in the respective Purchase Agreement.
2.21.3 Administrative Services. The Company and the Sponsor have entered into an agreement (“Services Agreement”) substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement pursuant to which the Sponsor will make available to the Company general and administrative services including office space and administrative and support services for the Company’s use for $10,000 per month payable until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust Account, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Services Agreement.
2.21.4 Registration Rights Agreement. The Company, the Sponsor, and the Representative have entered into a Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, whereby such parties will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the securities they hold or may hold, as set forth in such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.21.5 Loans. The Sponsor has agreed to make loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of up to $300,000 (the “Insider Loans”) pursuant to a promissory note substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Insider Loans do not bear any interest and are repayable by the Company on the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the consummation of the Offering.
2.22 Investment Management Trust Agreement. The Company has entered into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
2.23 Warrant Agreement. The Company has entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants underlying the Units and the Placement Warrants and certain other warrants that may be issued by the Company with CST substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Warrant Agreement”).
2.24 No Existing Non-Competition Agreements. No Insider is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect his ability to be an employee, officer and/or director of the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.
2.25 Investments. No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”)) of the Company’s total assets consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is derived from, securities other than “Government Securities” (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) or money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act.
2.26 Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act.
2.27 Subsidiaries. The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.
2.28 Related Party Transactions. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and any Insider, on the other hand, which is required by the Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business), or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
2.29 No Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
2.30 Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is, and on the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules or regulations promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.
2.31 Distribution of Offering Material by the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the distribution of the Units, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case as supplemented and amended.
2.32 Nasdaq Global Market. The Public Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on Nasdaq, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.
2.33 Board of Directors. As of the Effective Date, the Board of Directors of the Company will be comprised of the persons set forth as “Directors” or “Director nominees” under the heading of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus captioned “Management.” As of the Effective Date, the qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board will comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of Nasdaq that are, in each case, applicable to the Company. As of the Effective Date, the Company will have an Audit Committee that satisfies the applicable requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of Nasdaq.
2.34 Emerging Growth Company. From its formation through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
2.35 No Disqualification Events. Neither the Company, nor any of its predecessors or any affiliated issuer, nor any director, executive officer, or other officer of the Company participating in the Offering, nor any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, a “Company Covered Person” and, together, “Company Covered Persons”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Company Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under Rule 506(e), and has furnished to the Underwriters a copy of any disclosures provided thereunder.
2.36 Free-Writing Prospectus and Testing-the-Waters. The Company has not made any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405. The Company: (a) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (b) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications other than its officers and the Representative and individuals engaged by the Representative. The Company has not distributed any written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule B hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.
2.37 Other Covered Persons. The Company is not aware of any person (other than any Company Covered Person or Underwriter) that has been or will be paid (directly or indirectly) remuneration for solicitation of purchasers in connection with the sale of any Securities.
3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees as follows:
3.1 Amendments to Registration Statement. The Company will deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and the Company shall not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects in writing.
3.2 Federal Securities Laws.
3.2.1 Compliance. During the time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, the Regulations, and the Exchange Act, and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Act.
3.2.2 Filing of Final Prospectus. The Company will file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.
3.2.3 Exchange Act Registration. The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Public Securities under the provisions of the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going-private transaction) for a period of five years from the Effective Date, or until the Company is required to be liquidated or is acquired, if earlier, or, in the case of the Warrants, until the Warrants expire and are no longer exercisable or have been exercised or redeemed in full. The Company will not deregister the Public Securities under the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination) without the prior written consent of the Representative.
3.2.4 Exchange Act Filings. From the Effective Date until the earlier of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or its liquidation and dissolution, the Company shall timely file with the Commission via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) such statements and reports as are required to be filed by a company registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.
3.2.5 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance with each applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the Company.
3.3 Free-Writing Prospectus; Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company agrees that it will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405, without the prior consent of the Underwriters. The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the earlier of the time period set forth in the Charter Documents (the “Termination Date” or, if the Company extends the period during which it may enter into a Business Combination, the “Extended Termination Date”) or the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated by the Termination Date or Extended Termination Date, as applicable.
3.4 Delivery to Underwriters of Prospectuses. The Company will deliver to the Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to the Underwriters, upon their request, two manually executed Registration Statements, including exhibits, and all post-effective amendments thereto and copies of all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference and all manually executed consents of certified experts.
3.5 Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event that, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, and in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any foreign or state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.
3.6 Affiliated Transactions.
3.6.1 Business Combinations. The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Insider unless (i) the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such initial Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view, and (ii) such transaction is approved by a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent directors. No Insider, the Sponsor, any affiliate of the Company’s sponsor or officers shall receive any finder’s fee, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or for any services it renders in order to effectuate, the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination; provided, however, that such officers, directors and affiliates (i) may receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial Business Combination; (ii) may be repaid loans as described in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; and (iii) may be paid $10,000 per month for office space and administrative and support services pursuant to the Services Agreement, none of which will be made from the proceeds held in the Trust Account prior to completion of the initial Business Combination.
3.6.2 Compensation to Insiders. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company shall not pay any of the Insiders or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation from the Company, for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination.
3.7 [Reserved]
3.8 Reports to the Representative. For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated or is no longer required to file reports under the Exchange Act, the Company will furnish to the Representative and its counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Underwriters: (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission, (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs that was released by the Company, (iii) a copy of each current Report on Form 8-K or Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company, (iv) two (2) copies of each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Act, and (v) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided that the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this Section.
3.9 Transfer Agent. For a period of five years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and warrant agent acceptable to the Representative. CST is acceptable to the Underwriters.
3.10 Payment of Expenses. The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at the Closing Date, all Company expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to (i) the Company’s legal and accounting fees and disbursements, (ii) the preparation, printing, filing, mailing and delivery (including the payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, including any pre or post effective amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be required by the Underwriters, (iii) fees incurred in connection with conducting background checks of the Company’s management team, up to a maximum of $5,500 per person, (iv) the preparation, printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, the Ordinary Shares and the Warrants included in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (v) filing fees incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA and the reasonable fees of counsel of the Underwriters (not to exceed $25,000) in connection therewith (including the costs incurred in connection with (iii) above), (vi) fees, costs and expenses incurred in listing the Securities on Nasdaq or such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Underwriters together determine, (vii) all fees and disbursements of the transfer and warrant agent, (viii) all of the Company’s expenses associated with “due diligence” and “road show” meetings arranged by the Representative and any presentations made available by way of a netroadshow, including without limitation trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, all travel, food and lodging expenses associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management; (ix) the preparation, binding and delivery of bound transaction “bibles,” in quantities and form and style reasonably satisfactory to the Representative and Lucite cube mementos in such quantities as the Representative and the Company may mutually agree; (x) all of the expenses associated with any Business Combination marketing activities or capital markets advisory activities undertaken by any Underwriter at the request of the Company; and (x) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.10. If the Offering is consummated, the Representative may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date the expenses set forth above (which shall be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the Representative prior to Closing) to be paid by the Company to the Representative and others. If the Offering is not consummated for any reason (other than a breach by the Representative of any of its obligations hereunder), then the Company shall reimburse the Representative in full for its reasonable and documented out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred through such date, including, without limitation, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Representative.
3.11 Application of Net Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and Unit Private Placement received by it in a manner consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.
3.12 Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.
3.13 Notice to the Representative or FINRA.
3.13.1. Notice to the Representative. For a period of sixty (60) days after the date of the Prospectus, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged, in writing, to assist the Company in its search for a Target Business or to provide any other services in connection therewith, the Company will provide the following to the Representative prior to the consummation of the Business Combination: (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the merger and acquisition services should not be considered Participating Member with respect to the Offering. The Company also agrees that, if required by law, proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer documents or proxy statement which the Company will file with the Commission in connection with the Business Combination.
3.13.2. FINRA. The Company shall advise the Representative (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is aware that any 10% or greater shareholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Participating Member.
3.13.3 Broker/Dealer. In the event the Company intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall promptly notify FINRA.
3.14 Stabilization. Neither the Company, nor to its knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of its employees, directors or shareholders (without the consent of the Representative) has taken and the Company will not take, and has directed its employees, directors or shareholders not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.
3.15 Existing Lock-Up Agreement. The Company will enforce all existing agreements between the Company and any of its security holders that prohibit the sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation of any of the Securities in connection with the Offering. In addition, the Company will direct the Company’s transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such Securities of the Company that are bound by such existing “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements.
3.16 Payment of Deferred Underwriting Commission on Business Combination. Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company agrees that it will cause the Trustee to pay the Deferred Underwriting Commission directly from the Trust Account to the Representative, in accordance with Section 1.3.
3.17 Internal Controls. The Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
3.18 Accountants. Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain Marcum or another independent registered public accounting firm.
3.19 Form 8-K. The Company has retained its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (“Audited Financial Statements”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering and the Unit Private Placement. Within four (4) Business Days after the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Financial Statements. Promptly after the Option Closing Date, if the Over-allotment Option is exercised after the Closing Date, the Company shall file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K or an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of such option.
3.20 Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been effected, except where failure to do so would not individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.21 Investment Company. The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as provided for in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it shall be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.
3.22 Amendments to Charter Documents. The Company covenants and agrees that, prior to its initial Business Combination, it will not seek to amend or modify its Charter Documents, except as set forth therein.
3.23 Press Releases. The Company agrees that it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representative’s prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), for a period of twenty-five (25) days after the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Company be prohibited from issuing any press releases or engaging in any other publicity required by law, except that including the name of any Underwriter therein shall require the prior written consent of such Underwriter.
3.24 Insurance. The Company will maintain directors’ and officers’ insurance (including, without limitation, insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under the Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws).
3.25 Electronic Prospectus. The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Underwriters, at the Company’s expense, promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days from the effective date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. As used herein, the term “Electronic Prospectus” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Units for at least the period during which a prospectus relating to the Units is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time).
3.26 Private Placement Proceeds. On or prior to the Effective Date, certain of the proceeds from the Sponsor Unit Private Placement shall be deposited into the Trust Account in accordance with the Purchase Agreements.
3.27 Future Financings. The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to or in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims against the Trust Account.
3.28 Amendments to Agreements. The Company shall not amend, modify or otherwise change any of the Transaction Documents without the prior written consent of the Representative, which will not be unreasonably withheld. Furthermore, the Trust Agreement shall provide that the trustee is required to obtain a joint written instruction signed by both the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account from the Trust Account, prior to commencing any liquidation of the assets of the Trust Account in connection with the consummation of any Business Combination, and such provision of the Trust Agreement shall not be permitted to be amended without the prior written consent of the Representative.
3.29 Nasdaq. Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the listing of the Public Securities on Nasdaq or a national securities exchange acceptable to the Representative.
3.30 Reservation of Shares. The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and Placement Warrants outstanding from time to time.
3.31 Notice of Disqualification Events. The Company will notify the Underwriters in writing, prior to the Closing Date, of (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, become a Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person.
3.32 Disqualification of S-1. Until the earlier of seven years from the date hereof or until the Warrants have either expired and are no longer exercisable or have all been exercised, the Company will not take any action or actions that prevent or disqualify the Company’s use of Form S-1 (or other appropriate form) for the registration of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Act.
4. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Units, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance, in all material respects, by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:
4.1 Regulatory Matters.
4.1.1 Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representative, and, at each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for the purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of EG&S.
4.1.2 FINRA Clearance. By the Effective Date, the Underwriters shall have received a letter of no objections from FINRA as to the terms and arrangement and amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.
4.1.3 No Commission Stop Order. At the Closing Date and on each Option Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order. To the Company’s knowledge, (i) no order suspending the sale of the Units shall have been issued in any jurisdiction on either the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, and (ii) no proceeds for the purpose of issuing such a suspension order shall have been instituted or contemplated.
4.1.4 Nasdaq. The Securities shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.
4.2 Company Counsel Matters.
4.2.1 Closing Date and Option Closing Date Opinions of Counsel. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinions and negative assurance statements of Reed Smith LLP and the favorable opinion of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative and EG&S. On the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion and negative assurance statement of EG&S, dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters.
4.2.2 Reliance. In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Representative’s counsel if requested. The opinions of counsel for the Company shall include a statement to the effect that they may be relied upon by counsel for the Underwriters in its opinion delivered to the Underwriters.
4.3 Comfort Letter. At the time this Agreement is executed, and at the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a letter, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in Section 4.3.3 below) to the Representative and to EG&S from Marcum dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any:
4.3.1 Confirming that they are independent accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;
4.3.2 Stating that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published Regulations thereunder;
4.3.3 Stating that, on the basis of their review, which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the shareholders and Board of Directors and the various committees of the Board of Directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (b) at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change in the share capital or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the shareholders’ equity of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the June 30, 2021 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from June 30, 2021 to a specified date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any decrease in revenues, net earnings or net earnings per Ordinary Share, in each case as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year and as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding quarter, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, if there was any such decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease;
4.3.4 Setting forth, at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, the amount of liabilities of the Company (including a break-down of commercial papers and notes payable to banks);
4.3.5 Stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement;
4.3.6 Stating that they have not, since the Company’s incorporation, brought to the attention of the Company’s management any reportable condition related to internal structure, design or operation as defined in the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 60 “Communication of Internal Control Structure Related Matters Noted in an Audit,” in the Company’s internal controls; and
4.3.7 Statements as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representative or EG&S may reasonably request, including: (i) that Marcum is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; (ii) that Marcum has sufficient assets and insurance to pay for any liability incurred by it relating to providing the letter; and (iii) that Marcum is not insolvent.
4.4 Officers’ Certificates.
4.4.1 Officers’ Certificate. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, or any similar or equivalent officer of the Company (in their capacities as such), dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct. In addition, the Representative will have received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company (in their capacities as such) as the Representative may reasonably request.
4.4.2 Secretary’s Certificate. At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying (i) that the Charter Documents are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission, (iv) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and Nasdaq and (v) as to the accuracy and completeness, to the Company’s knowledge (assuming reasonable inquiry) of the certificates specified in Section 4.2.1; (vi) as to the accuracy and completeness of all resolutions of the shareholders of the Company; and (vii) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
4.5 No Material Changes. Prior to and on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or federal, foreign or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened by the Commission, and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus nor the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
4.6 Delivery of Transaction Documents. On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Transaction Documents.
4.7 Private Placements. On the Closing Date, the Unit Private Placement shall have been completed in accordance with Sections 1.4, 2.21 and 3.26 of this Agreement.
5. Indemnification and Contribution.
5.1 Indemnification
5.1.1 Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates and their respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls each Underwriter or any affiliate within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:
(a) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, Sale Preliminary Prospectus, any Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(b) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental authority, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 5.1(d)) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be delayed, conditioned or withheld;
(c) against any and all claims, actions, suits, proceedings, damages, liabilities and expenses incurred by any of them (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), as incurred, that are related to or arise out of any business combination marketing or capital markets advisory activities by any Underwriter on the Company’s behalf in connection with a Business Combination, provided that the Company will not, however, be responsible to an Indemnified Person for any portion of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, damage, liability or expense that is finally judicially determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (not subject to further appeal) to have resulted primarily and directly from the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Indemnified Person seeking such indemnification; and
(d) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental authority, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission (whether or not a party), to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (a), (b) or (c) above; provided, however, that the foregoing agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made solely in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.
5.1.2 Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, and its directors, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 5.1.1, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, any Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.
5.1.3 Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 5.1 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 5.1, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 5.1 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 5.1 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of, the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any other legal expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (A) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (B) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (C) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (D) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action or counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, in each case, within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action; in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction (plus local counsel) at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 5 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an express and unconditional release of each indemnified party, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (y) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
5.1.4 Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 5.1.1(b) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
5.2 Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of Section 5.1 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable or insufficient from the Company or the Underwriters, the Company and the Underwriters will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted) to which any indemnified party may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the sale of the Units (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by the Underwriters (before deducting expenses) from the sale of the Units on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, with respect to the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 5.2 were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 5.2 shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 5.2, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 5.1.3. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Section 5.1 and this Section 5.2, the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions actually received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 5.2, any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Act, any affiliates of the respective Underwriters and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of the Underwriters or their respective affiliates, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each director of the Company and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 5.2, will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 5.2 except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 5.1.3, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 5.1.3.
6. Default by an Underwriter.
6.1 Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units and if the number of the Firm Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.
6.2 Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units. In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units , the Representative may, in its discretion, arrange for it or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units to which such default relates on the terms contained herein. If within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representative does not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm Units on such terms. In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.10, 5, and 9.3 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof); provided, that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
6.3 Postponement of Closing Date. In the event that the Firm Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement, and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such securities.
7. Additional Covenants.
7.1 Additional Shares or Options. The Company hereby agrees that until the consummation of a Business Combination, it shall not issue any Ordinary Shares or any options or other securities convertible into Ordinary Shares, or any preferred shares or other securities of the Company which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Ordinary Shares on a proposed Business Combination.
7.2 Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments. The Company hereby agrees that it will use commercially reasonable best efforts prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any prospective Target Business or prior to obtaining the services of any vendor to have such Target Business or vendor acknowledge in writing whether through a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledge the same in any definitive document replacing any of the foregoing), that (a) it has read the Prospectus and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of $306,000,000 (without giving effect to any exercise of the Over-allotment Option) for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event they elect to redeem the Ordinary Shares contained in the Public Securities in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Shareholders s if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter Documents, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination and (b) for and in consideration of the Company (i) agreeing to evaluate such Target Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it or (ii) agreeing to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target Business or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (“Claim”) and waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
7.3 Insider Letters.
7.3.1 The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of any of the Insider Letters and will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, such Insider Letters without the prior written consent of the Representative, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
7.3.2 The Company shall cause each of the Insiders in the Insider Letter to agree (i) that, in order to minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from multiple affiliations, the Insiders will present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or company, any suitable opportunity to acquire an operating business, until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination, the liquidation of the Company or such time as such Insider ceases to be an officer or director of the Company, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations such Insiders might have and (ii) to certain other matters, including but not limited to the voting of Ordinary Shares held by them and certain matters described as being agreed to by them under the “Proposed Business” section of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
7.4 Rule 419. The Company agrees that it will use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including but not limited to using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
7.5 Tender Offer Documents, Proxy Materials and Other Information. The Company shall provide to the Representative or its counsel (if so instructed by the Representative) with 10 copies of all tender offer documents or proxy information and all related material filed with the Commission in connection with a Business Combination concurrently with such filing with the Commission. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been provided to the Representative pursuant to this Section. In addition, the Company shall furnish any other state in which its initial public offering was registered, such information as may be requested by such state.
7.6 Emerging Growth Company. The Company shall promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act.
7.7 Target Net Assets. The Company agrees that, so long as the Company is listed on a national securities exchange, the Target Business that it acquires must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business (excluding taxes payable and the Deferred Underwriting Commissions). The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value. If the Board of Directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the Target Business meets such fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such initial Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. The Company is not required to obtain an opinion as to the fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value.
7.8 Charter Documents. The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the Company to be in breach or violation of any of its Charter Documents.
8. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, and such representations, warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company or any Controlling Person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th) anniversary of the later of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.
9. Effective Date of This Agreement and Termination Thereof.
9.1 Effective Date. This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the Commission.
9.2 Termination. The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the Representative’s opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States; or (ii) if trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the NYSE American, Nasdaq, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market or quoted on the OTCBB shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in existing major hostilities, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or Federal authority, or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities market, or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity (including, without limitation, a calamity relating to a public health matter or natural disaster) or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representative’s sole opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Units, or (vii) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder, or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of such a material adverse change in the conditions of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities or any other calamity (including, without limitation, a calamity relating to a public health matter or natural disaster) or crisis either within or outside the United States after the date hereof, or an increase in any of the foregoing, as in the Representative’s sole judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Public Securities.
9.3 Expenses. In the event that this Agreement shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, (i) the obligations of the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be governed by Section 3.10 hereof and (ii) the Company shall reimburse the Representative for any costs and expenses incurred in connection with enforcing any provisions of this Agreement.
9.4 Indemnification. Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way affected by such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.
10. Miscellaneous.
10.1 Notices. All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier and confirmed or delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and shall be deemed given when so delivered or faxed or, if mailed, two days after such mailing.
If to the Representative:
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
499 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: General Counsel
Facsimile: (212) 829-4708
Email: #legal-IBD@cantor.com with a copy to spac@cantor.com
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
499 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: Head of Investment Banking
Attn: Head of SPACs
Facsimile: (212) 829-4708
Email: Sage.kelly@cantor.com; David.batalion@cantor.com
Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10105
Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.
Facsimile: (212) 370-7889
Email: sneuhauser@egsllp.com
If to the Company:
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
767 Third Avenue, 38th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Attn: Richard N. Peretz
Facsimile: [*]
Email: [*]
Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Reed Smith LLP
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: Ari Edelman, Esq.
Facsimile: (212) 521-5400
Email: aedelman@reedsmith.com
10.2 Headings. The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.
10.3 Amendment. This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.
10.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
10.5 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the selected dealers, the Company and the controlling persons, directors, agents, partners, members, employees and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from any of the Underwriters.
10.6 Waiver of Immunity. To the extent that the Company may be entitled in any jurisdiction in which judicial proceedings may at any time be commenced hereunder, to claim for itself or its revenues or assets any immunity, including sovereign immunity, from suit, jurisdiction, attachment in aid of execution of a judgment or prior to a judgment, execution of a judgment or any other legal process with respect to its obligations hereunder and to the extent that in any such jurisdiction there may be attributed to the Company such an immunity (whether or not claimed), the Company hereby irrevocably agrees not to claim and irrevocably waives such immunity to the maximum extent permitted by law.
10.7 Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or the offering of the Securities. Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company or the Representative may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 10.1 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company or the Representative in any action, proceeding or claim. Each of the Company and the Representative waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action based on this Agreement may be instituted by the Underwriters in any competent court. The Company agrees that the Underwriters shall be entitled to recover all of their reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to any action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor if any of them are the prevailing party in such action or proceeding. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
10.8 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.
10.9 Execution in Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or other applicable law) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered will be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and valid and effective for all purposes.
10.10 Waiver. The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.
10.11 No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction pursuant to a contractual relationship between the Company and the Underwriters, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) the Underwriters have not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of this offering of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof and (v) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgment with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Representative and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.
Very truly yours, | |
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation |
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
Accepted on the date first above written. | ||
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO., as Representative of the several underwriters | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement, dated [*], 2021]
SCHEDULE A
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
30,000,000 Units
Underwriter | Number
of | |||
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | 30,000,000 | |||
TOTAL | 30,000,000 |
SCHEDULE B
[*]
Exhibit 5.1
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Reed Smith LLP 599 Lexington Avenue +1 212 521 5400 Fax +1 212 521 5450 reedsmith.com |
October 21, 2021
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
767 Third Avenue, 38th Floor
New York, New York 10017
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special United States counsel to Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-260113) (such registration statement, as amended through the date hereof, the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the offer and sale by the Company (the “Offering”) of (a) up to 34,500,000 units of the Company (the “Units”) (including up to 4,500,000 Units subject to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional Units), each such Unit consisting of one share of Class A ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”), each Warrant exercisable for the purchase of one Ordinary Share, as set forth in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (the “Prospectus”) and (b) all Ordinary Shares and all Warrants, in each case, issued as part of the Units. The term “Units” also includes any additional Units (and the underlying securities) that may be issued by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the Offering.
This opinion letter is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.
We have reviewed originals or copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the form of warrant agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) proposed to be entered into by the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”) that is filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement, and the form of Unit certificate filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement (together with the Warrant Agreement the “Transaction Documents”), and such other corporate records, agreements and documents of the Company, certificates or comparable documents of public officials and officers of the Company and have made such other investigations as we have deemed necessary as a basis for the opinions set forth below.
In rendering the opinion set forth below, we have assumed:
a. | the genuineness of all signatures; |
b. | the legal capacity of natural persons; |
c. | the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals; |
d. | the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or conformed copies; |
e. | as to matters of fact, the truthfulness of the representations made in certificates or comparable documents of public officials and officers of the Company; |
f. | the board of directors of the Company or a duly constituted and acting committee of such board of directors will have taken all action necessary to set the public offering price of the Units; |
g. | the Company (i) is duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing, (ii) has requisite legal status and legal capacity under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, (iii) has complied and will comply with all aspects of the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization in connection with the transactions contemplated by, and the performance of its obligations under, the Warrant Agreement, and (iv) has the corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform all its obligations under the Warrant Agreement; |
h. | neither the execution and delivery by the Company of the Transaction Documents nor the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the Units and Warrants (i) conflicts or will conflict with the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, (ii) constitutes or will constitute a violation of, or a default under, any lease, indenture, instrument or other agreement to which the Company or its property is subject, (iii) contravenes or will contravene any order or decree of any governmental authority to which the Company or its property is subject, (iv) violates or will violate any law, rule or regulation to which the Company or its property is subject (except that we do not make the assumption set forth in this clause (iv) with respect to the Opined-on Law (as defined below)), or (v) requires or will require the consent, approval, licensing or authorization of, or any filing, recording or registration with, any governmental authority under any law, rule, or regulation of any jurisdiction. |
We have not independently established the validity of the foregoing assumptions.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1. | The Units, when issued and sold by the Company in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement and Prospectus against payment therefor, and assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Units by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as transfer agent, will constitute the legal, valid, and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally, and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity, including principles of commercial reasonableness, good faith, and fair dealing (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity). |
2. | The Ordinary Shares included in the Units, when the Units are issued and sold by the Company in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement and Prospectus against payment therefor, will be validly issued, fully paid, and nonassessable. |
3. | The Warrants included in the Units, when the Units are issued and sold by the Company in the manner contemplated in the Registration Statement and Prospectus against payment therefor, and assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery of such Warrants by the Warrant Agent, will constitute the legal, valid, and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, under the laws of the State of New York, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally, and subject, as to enforceability, to general principles of equity, including principles of commercial reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity). |
- 2 - |
The opinions stated herein are subject to the qualifications that we express no opinion as to the applicability of, compliance with, or effect of (i) public policy considerations which may limit the rights of parties to obtain certain remedies, (ii) any requirement that a claim with respect to any security denominated in other than U.S. dollars (or a judgment denominated in other than U.S. dollars in respect of such claim) be converted into U.S. dollars at a rate of exchange prevailing on a date determined in accordance with applicable law, (iii) any provision waiving the right to object to venue in any court; (v) any agreement to submit to the jurisdiction of any federal court; and (iii) governmental authority to limit, delay or prohibit the making of payments outside of the United States or in a foreign currency or currency unit.
Our opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York (the “Opined-on Law”) and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other law. We advise you that issues addressed by this letter may be governed in whole or in part by other laws, but we express no opinion as to whether any relevant difference exists between the laws upon which our opinions are based and any other laws which may actually govern. This opinion letter speaks only as of its date.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Reed Smith LLP
REED SMITH LLP
- 3 - |
Exhibit 5.2
Our ref AIH/787233-000001/68220913v1
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
PO Box 309, Ugland House
Grand Cayman
KY1-1104
Cayman Islands
21 October 2021
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
We have acted as counsel as to Cayman Islands law to Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporationthe "Company") in connection with the Company's registration statement on Form S-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act") (including its exhibits, the "Registration Statement") for the purposes of, registering with the Commission under the Act, the offering and sale to the public of:
(a) | up to 34,500,000 units (including 4,500,000 units, which the several underwriters ("Underwriters"), for whom Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as representative ("Representative"), will have a 45-day option to purchase from the Company to cover over-allotments, if any) ("Units") at an offering price of US$10 per Unit, each Unit consisting of: |
(i) | one Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 of the Company ("Class A Ordinary Shares"); and |
(ii) | one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at a price of US$11.50 per Class A Ordinary Share ("Warrants"); and |
(b) | all Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants issued as part of the Units. |
This opinion letter is given in accordance with the terms of the Legal Matters section of the Registration Statement.
1 | Documents Reviewed |
We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents:
1.1 | The certificate of incorporation dated 21 April 2021 and the memorandum and articles of association of the Company as registered or adopted on 21 April 2021 (the "Memorandum and Articles"). |
1.2 | The written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company dated 29 April 2021 and 21 October 2021 (the "Resolutions") and the corporate records of the Company maintained at its registered office in the Cayman Islands. |
1.3 | A certificate of good standing with respect to the Company issued by the Registrar of Companies (the "Certificate of Good Standing"). |
1.4 | A certificate from a director of the Company a copy of which is attached to this opinion letter (the "Director's Certificate"). |
1.5 | The Registration Statement. |
1.6 | A draft of the form of the unit certificate representing the Units (the "Unit Certificate"). |
1.7 | A draft of the form of the warrant agreement and the warrant certificate constituting the Warrants (the "Warrant Documents"). |
1.8 | A draft of the underwriting agreement between the Company and the Representative. |
The documents listed in paragraphs 1.6 to 1.8 inclusive above shall be referred to collectively herein as the "Documents".
2 | Assumptions |
The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving the following opinions, we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as at the date of this opinion letter, of the Director's Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
2.1 | The Documents have been or will be authorised and duly executed and unconditionally delivered by or on behalf of all relevant parties in accordance with all relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands). |
2.2 | The Documents are, or will be, legal, valid, binding and enforceable against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York (the "Relevant Law") and all other relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands). |
2.3 | The choice of the Relevant Law as the governing law of the Documents has been made in good faith and would be regarded as a valid and binding selection which will be upheld by the courts of the State of New York and any other relevant jurisdiction (other than the Cayman Islands) as a matter of the Relevant Law and all other relevant laws (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands). |
2.4 | Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. |
2.5 | All signatures, initials and seals are genuine. |
2.6 | The capacity, power, authority and legal right of all parties under all relevant laws and regulations (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands) to enter into, execute, unconditionally deliver and perform their respective obligations under the Documents. |
2.7 | No invitation has been or will be made by or on behalf of the Company to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of the Units, the Warrants or the Class A Ordinary Shares. |
2.8 | There is no contractual or other prohibition or restriction (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting or restricting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Documents. |
2.9 | No monies paid to or for the account of any party under the Documents or any property received or disposed of by any party to the Documents in each case in connection with the Documents or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby represent or will represent proceeds of criminal conduct or criminal property or terrorist property (as defined in the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) and the Terrorism Act (As Revised), respectively). |
2.10 | There is nothing under any law (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. Specifically, we have made no independent investigation of the Relevant Law. |
2.11 | The Company will receive money or money's worth in consideration for the issue of the Class A Ordinary Shares and none of the Class A Ordinary Shares were or will be issued for less than par value. |
Save as aforesaid we have not been instructed to undertake and have not undertaken any further enquiry or due diligence in relation to the transaction the subject of this opinion letter.
3 | Opinions |
Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing assumptions and the qualifications set out below, and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
3.1 | The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
3.2 | The Class A Ordinary Shares to be offered and issued by the Company as contemplated by the Registration Statement (including the issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the Warrant Documents) have been duly authorised for issue, and when issued by the Company against payment in full of the consideration as set out in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the terms set out in the Registration Statement (including the issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the Warrant Documents), such Class A Ordinary Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders). |
3.3 | The execution, delivery and performance of the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents have been authorised by and on behalf of the Company and, once the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents have been executed and delivered by any director or officer of the Company, the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents will be duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company and will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their terms. |
4 | Qualifications |
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:
4.1 | The obligations assumed by the Company under the Documents will not necessarily be enforceable in all circumstances in accordance with their terms. In particular: |
(a) | enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganisation, readjustment of debts or moratorium or other laws of general application relating to protecting or affecting the rights of creditors; |
(b) | enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity. For example, equitable remedies such as specific performance may not be available, inter alia, where damages are considered to be an adequate remedy; |
(c) | where obligations are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, they may not be enforceable in the Cayman Islands to the extent that performance would be illegal under the laws of that jurisdiction; and |
(d) | some claims may become barred under relevant statutes of limitation or may be or become subject to defences of set off, counterclaim, estoppel and similar defences. |
4.2 | To maintain the Company in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies within the time frame prescribed by law. |
4.3 | Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members (shareholders) is prima facie evidence of title to shares and this register would not record a third party interest in such shares. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. As far as we are aware, such applications are rarely made in the Cayman Islands and for the purposes of the opinion given in paragraph 3.2, there are no circumstances or matters of fact known to us on the date of this opinion letter which would properly form the basis for an application for an order for rectification of the register of members of the Company, but if such an application were made in respect of the Class A Ordinary Shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court. |
4.4 | In this opinion letter the phrase "non-assessable" means, with respect to the issuance of shares, that a shareholder shall not, in respect of the relevant shares and in the absence of a contractual arrangement, or an obligation pursuant to the memorandum and articles of association, to the contrary, have any obligation to make further contributions to the Company's assets (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil). |
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the "Legal Matters", "Risk Factors", "Shareholders' Suits" and "Enforcement of Civil Liabilities" in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In providing our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
We express no view as to the commercial terms of the Documents or whether such terms represent the intentions of the parties and make no comment with regard to warranties or representations that may be made by the Company.
The opinions in this opinion letter are strictly limited to the matters contained in the opinions section above and do not extend to any other matters. We have not been asked to review and we therefore have not reviewed any of the ancillary documents relating to the Documents and express no opinion or observation upon the terms of any such document.
This opinion letter is addressed to you and may be relied upon by you, your counsel and purchasers of Units pursuant to the Registration Statement. This opinion letter is limited to the matters detailed herein and is not to be read as an opinion with respect to any other matter.
Yours faithfully
Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP
Exhibit 10.1
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made effective as of [•], 2021 by and between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-[•] (the “Registration Statement”), and prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the initial public offering of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each of which consists of one of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share (such initial public offering hereinafter referred to as the “Offering”), has been declared effective as of the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (the “Underwriter”) named therein; and
WHEREAS, as described in the Prospectus, $306,000,000 of the gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Private Placement Units (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) (or $351,900,000 if the Underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Ordinary Shares included in the Units issued in the Offering as hereinafter provided (the amount to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) is referred to herein as the “Property,” the shareholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “Public Shareholders” and the Public Shareholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “Beneficiaries”); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, a portion of the Property equal to $12,000,000 or $14,700,000 if the Underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, is attributable to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that will be payable by the Company to the Underwriter upon and concurrently with the consummation of the initial Business Combination (as defined below) (the “Deferred Discount”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee located in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more), maintained by the Trustee and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in United States government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while the Property is uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder and the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Underwriter of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Company’s preparation of tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account or in connection with the preparation or completion of an audit of the Company’s financial statements by the Company’s auditors;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by the Company to do so;
(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of, and amounts in, the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from the Company (“Termination Letter”) in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) or other authorized officer of the Company (and, in the case of a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to the attached hereto as Exhibit A, jointly signed, acknowledged and agreed to by the Underwriter), and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or (y) the date which is the later of (1) 15 months after the closing of the Offering and (2) such later date as may be approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached hereto as Exhibit B and the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), shall be distributed to the Public Shareholders of record as of such date;
(j) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit C (a “Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction”), withdraw from the Trust Account and distribute to the Company the amount of interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to cover any tax obligation owed by the Company as a result of assets of the Company or interest or other income earned on the Property, which amount shall be delivered directly to the Company by electronic funds transfer or other method of prompt payment, and the Company shall forward such payment to the relevant taxing authority so long as there is no reduction in the principal amount per share initially deposited in the Trust Account; provided, however, that to the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax obligation, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to make such distribution (it being acknowledged and agreed that any such amount in excess of interest income earned on the Property shall not be payable from the Trust Account). The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request;
(k) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D (a “Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction”), the Trustee shall distribute on behalf of the Company to the Public Shareholders of record as of such date the amount requested by the Company to be used to redeem Ordinary Shares from Public Shareholders properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment (a “Specified Charter Amendment”) to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Charter”) (A) to modify the substance or timing of the ability of Public Shareholders to seek redemption in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s Ordinary Shares if the Company does not complete an initial Business Combination within the time period specified in the Charter or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the Public Shareholders’ rights. The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request; and
(l) Not make any withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j) or 1(k) above.
2. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Chairman of the Board or other authorized officer of the Company. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(j) and 1(k) hereof, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions; provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Subject to Section 4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses, including reasonable and documented outside counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest earned on the Property, except for expenses and losses arising out of, in connection with or resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this Section 2(b), it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim; provided that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee the fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial acceptance fee, annual administration fee, and transaction processing fee which fees shall be subject to modification as agreed by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until an initial Business Combination (as defined below) is consummated. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and the first annual administration fee at the consummation of the Offering. The Trustee shall refund to the Company the annual administration fee (on a pro rata basis) with respect to any period after the liquidation of the Trust Account or after the removal or withdrawal of the Trustee in accordance with this Agreement. The Company shall not be responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this Section 2(c), Schedule A hereto and as may be provided in Section 2(b) hereof;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of the inspector of elections for the shareholder meeting verifying the vote of such shareholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) Provide the Underwriter with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same;
(f) Unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Underwriter, ensure that any Instruction Letter (as defined in Exhibit A) delivered in connection with a Termination Letter in the form of Exhibit A expressly provides that the Deferred Discount is paid directly to the account or accounts directed by the Underwriter prior to any transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account to the Company or any other person;
(g) Instruct the Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under this Agreement, and refrain from instructing the Trustee to make any distributions that are not permitted under this Agreement; and
(h) Within four (4) business days after the Underwriters exercise the over allotment option (or any unexercised portion thereof) or such over allotment expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing of the total amount of the Deferred Discount, which shall in no event be less than $12,000,000.
3. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this Agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein;
(b) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any third party except for liability arising out, in connection with or resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(c) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;
(f) The Company or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may be the Company’s counsel), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which the Trustee believes, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(g) Verify the accuracy of the information contained in the Registration Statement;
(h) Provide any assurance that any initial Business Combination entered into by the Company or any other action taken by the Company is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(i) File information returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or federal taxing authority or provide periodic written statements to the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any, relating to any interest income earned on the Property;
(j) Prepare, execute and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes with respect to any income generated by, and activities relating to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by the Trust Account or the Company, including, but not limited to, any tax obligations, except pursuant to Section 1(j) hereof; or
(k) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Company’s written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j) or 1(k) hereof.
4. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies or other assets in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies or other assets in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 2(b) or Section 2(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies or other assets in the Trust Account, and the Trustee hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction of any Claim against the Trust Account under any circumstance.
5. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within 90 days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and, upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever with respect to any liability arising after such time;
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and its obligations in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 2(b); or
(c) If the Offering is not consummated within ten business days of the date of this Agreement, in which case any funds received by the Trustee from the Company or Semper Paratus Sponsor LLC, the Company’s sponsor, as applicable, shall be returned promptly following the receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company.
6. Miscellaneous.
(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth herein with respect to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party as promptly as practicable if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including, account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a Beneficiary, Beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of, in connection with or resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the information or transmission of the funds.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.
(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Section 1(i), 1(j) and 1(k) hereof (which sections may not be modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of 65% of the then-outstanding Ordinary Shares and Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company, voting together as a single class; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Shareholder who has properly elected to redeem his or her Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Specified Charter Amendment or to redeem 100% of its Ordinary Shares if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the time frame specified in the Company’s Charter), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified (other than to correct a typographical error) by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, State of New York, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery, by facsimile or by electronic mail:
if to the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Account Administration
if to the Company, to:
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation
767 Third Avenue, 38th Floor
New York, New York 10017
Attn: Philippe Kurzweil
Email: pj@semperparatusspac.com
in each case, with copies to:
Reed Smith LLP
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attn: Ari Edelman, Esq.
Email: aedelman@reedsmith.com
and
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
499 Park Avenue
New York, New York, 10022
Attn: General Counsel
and
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10105
Attn: Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq..
Email: ellenoff@egsllp.com
(f) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder.
(g) This Agreement is the joint product of the Trustee and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
(h) This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
(i) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriter is a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement.
(j) The Trustee may not assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or entity without the prior consent of the Company.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
Fee Item | Time and method of payment | Amount | ||||
Initial acceptance fee | Payable at the initial closing of the Offering by wire transfer | $ | 3,500.00 | |||
Annual administration fee | First year fee payable at initial closing of the Offering by wire transfer; thereafter, payable on the anniversary of the initial closing of the Offering by wire transfer or check | $ | 10,000.00 | |||
Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Sections 1(i) and 1(j) | Billed by Trustee to Company following disbursements made to the Company under Sections 1(i) and 1(j) | $ | 250.00 | |||
Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(k) | Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Section 1(i) and 1(k) | Prevailing rates |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of Company]
[●], 2021
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Account Administration
Re: Trust Account – Termination Letter
Dear [____]:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [● ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [●] (the “Target Business”) to consummate a business combination with the Target Business (the “Business Combination”) on or about [●]. The Company shall notify you at least 72 hours in advance of the actual date (or such shorter time period as you may agree) of the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust operating account at [J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.] to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of the funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Underwriter (with respect to the Deferred Discount) and the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in said trust operating account at [J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.] awaiting distribution, neither the Company nor the Underwriter will earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated, or will be consummated substantially concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the “Notification”), and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Chairman of the board of directors of the Company or other authorized officer of the Company, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Company’s shareholders, if a vote is held, and (b) joint written instruction signed by the Company and the Underwriter with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of the Deferred Discount from the Trust Account and amounts owed to public shareholders who have properly exercised their redemption rights (the “Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, (x) to the Representative in an amount equal to the Deferred Discount as directed by the Representative and (y) the remainder in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the Notification and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in such Notification as soon thereafter as possible.
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
Very truly yours, | ||
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead of Company]
[●], 2021
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Account Administration
Attn: [INSERT NAME]
Re: Trust Account – Termination Letter
Dear [____]:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [● ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a business combination with a target business (the “Business Combination”) within the time frame specified in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as described in the Company’s Prospectus relating to the Offering. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust operating account at [J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.] to await distribution to the Public Shareholders. The Company has selected [____]1 as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Shareholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. It is acknowledged that no interest will be earned by the Company on the liquidation proceeds while on deposit in the trust operating account. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Company’s Public Shareholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable and documented unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement.
1 15 months from the closing of the Offering, or at a later date, if extended.
Very truly yours, | ||
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
cc: J.P. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead of Company]
[●], 2021
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Account Administration
Re: Trust Account – Tax Payment Withdrawal Instructions
Dear [____]:
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $[ ] of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
Very truly yours, | ||
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
cc: Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
EXHIBIT D
[Letterhead of Company]
[●], 2021
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Attention: Account Administration
Re: Trust Account – Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction
Dear [____]:
Pursuant to Section 1(k) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the redeeming Public Shareholders of the Company $[ ] of the principal and interest income earned on the Property in the aggregate as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay its Public Shareholders who have properly elected to have their Ordinary Shares redeemed by the Company in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Specified Charter Amendment. As such, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the redeeming Public Shareholders in accordance with your customary procedures.
Very truly yours, | ||
Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
cc Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. |
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
Exhibit 10.2
REGISTRATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of [•], 2021, is made and entered into by and among Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), Semper Paratus Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the representatives of the underwriters (“Cantor”), and the undersigned parties listed under Holder on the signature page hereto (each such party, together with the Sponsor and any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.2 of this Agreement, a “Holder” and collectively the “Holders”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Sponsor currently owns 11,983,333 Class B ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”) (up to 1,530,000 of which are subject to partial or complete forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised);
WHEREAS, the Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”), at the time of the initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, on the terms and conditions provided in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as may be amended from time to time;
WHEREAS, the Company, the Sponsor, and Cantor entered into that certain Placement Unit Purchase Agreements, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase 1,210,000 placement units (or 1,300,000 placement units if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) and Cantor agreed to purchase 150,000 placement units, (regardless of whether the Underwriters’ over-allotment option in connection with the Company’s initial public offering is exercised in full), (the “Private Placement Units”), with each Private Placement Unit composed of one Class A Ordinary Share and one-half of one warrant, in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s initial public offering;
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with its search for, and consummation of, an initial Business Combination, in the future the Sponsor or its affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible at the option of the lender into an additional 150,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Working Capital Units”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Holders desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. The terms defined in this Article I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below:
“Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the chief executive officer, chief financial officer or executive chairman of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.
“Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
“Business Combination” shall mean any merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses.
“Cantor” means Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the representative of the underwriters in the Offering.
“Class A Ordinary Shares” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Class B Ordinary Shares” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Commission” shall mean the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Demand Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Demanding Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.
“Form S-1” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Form S-3” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.1.
“Founder Shares” shall mean the Class B Ordinary Shares and shall be deemed to include the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof.
“Founder Shares Lock-up Period” shall mean, with respect to the Founder Shares, the period ending on the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
“Insider Letter” shall mean that certain letter agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among the Company, the Holders and each of the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees.
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“Maximum Number of Securities” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.
“Misstatement” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.
“Nominee” is defined in Section 6.1.
“Permitted Transferees” shall mean any person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, under the Insider Letter, the Placement Unit Purchase Agreements, this Agreement and any other applicable agreement between such Holder and the Company, and to any transferees thereafter.
“Piggyback Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.
“Private Placement Lock-up Period” shall mean, with respect to Private Placement Units that are held by the initial purchasers of such Private Placement Units or their Permitted Transferees, and any of the Class A Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Private Placement Units and that are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Units or their Permitted Transferees, the period ending 30 days after the completion of an initial Business Combination.
“Private Placement Units ” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
“Registrable Security” shall mean (a) the Founder Shares (including any Class A Ordinary Shares or other equivalent equity security issued or issuable upon the conversion of any such Founder Shares or exercisable for Class A Ordinary Shares), (b) the Private Placement Units (and its components), (c) any Working Capital Units (including any Class A Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such Working Capital Units), (d) any outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares or any other equity security (including the Class A Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security) of the Company held by a Holder as of the date of this Agreement, and (e) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such Class A Ordinary Shares by way of a share subdivision or share capitalization or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization; provided, however, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (i) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (ii) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (iii) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (iv) such securities have been sold without registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act or Rule 144 or Rule 145 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission); or (v) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.
“Registration” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.
“Registration Expenses” shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:
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(A) all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.) and any securities exchange on which the Class A Ordinary Shares are then listed;
(B) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);
(C) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses;
(D) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;
(E) reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and
(F) reasonable fees and expenses of one legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration or the Takedown Requesting Holder initiating an Underwritten Shelf Takedown.
“Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
“Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.1.
“Sponsor” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Sponsor Director” means an individual elected to the Board that has been nominated by the Sponsor pursuant to this Agreement.
“Subsequent Shelf Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.2.
“Takedown Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.3.
“Underwriter” shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.
“Underwritten Registration” or “Underwritten Offering” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.
“Underwritten Shelf Takedown” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.3.
“Working Capital Units” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
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ARTICLE 2
REGISTRATIONS
2.1 Demand Registration.
2.1.1 Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the initial Business Combination, (i) the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities or (ii) Cantor, the other underwriters in the Offering and/or their designees (the “Demanding Holders”) may make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand, a “Demand Registration”). The Company shall, within five business days of the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “Requesting Holder”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within three business days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than 45 days immediately after the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration under this subsection 2.1.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities, including one (1) Demand Registration on behalf of Cantor, the other underwriters in the Offering and/or their designees; provided, however, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-1”) has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders in such Form S-1 Registration have been sold, in accordance with Section 3.1 of this Agreement; provided, further, that an Underwritten Shelf Takedown shall not count as a Demand Registration.
2.1.2 Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.1.1 above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, further, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other governmental agency the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five days, of such election; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.
2.1.3 Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.1.3 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration.
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2.1.4 Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell and the Class A Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other shareholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Securities”), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.1.5 Demand Registration Withdrawal. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any), pursuant to a Registration under subsection 2.1.1 shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.1.5.
2.2 Piggyback Registration.
2.2.1 Piggyback Rights. If, at any time on or after the date the Company consummates an initial Business Combination, the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of shareholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the shareholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee share option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than seven days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within three business days after receipt of such written notice (such Registration, a “Piggyback Registration”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.2.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.1 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company. For purposes of clarity, the notice periods set forth in this subsection 2.2.1 shall not apply to an Underwritten Shelf Takedown conducted in accordance with subsection 2.3.3.
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2.2.2 Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration that is to be a Piggyback Registration (other than Underwritten Shelf Takedown), in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of the Class A Ordinary Shares that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (i) the Class A Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, (ii) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof, and (iii) the Class A Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:
(a) If the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1, pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has requested to be included in such Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Holders have requested to be included in such Registration, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities;
(b) If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1, pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has requested be included in such Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Holders have requested to be included in such Registration, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.2.3 Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration. The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.3.
2.2.4 Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof.
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2.3 Shelf Registrations.
2.3.1 The Holders of Registrable Securities may at any time, and from time to time, request in writing that the Company, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), register the resale of any or all of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-3”), or if the Company is ineligible to use Form S-3, on Form S-1; a registration statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 (a “Shelf”) shall provide for the resale of the Registrable Securities included therein pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder. Within three days of the Company’s receipt of a written request from a Holder or Holders of Registrable Securities for a Registration on a Shelf, the Company shall promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration to all other Holders of Registrable Securities, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration shall so notify the Company, in writing, within three business days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. As soon as practicable thereafter, but not more than 10 days after the Company’s initial receipt of such written request for a Registration on a Shelf, the Company shall register all or such portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities as are specified in such written request, together with all or such portion of Registrable Securities of any other Holder or Holders joining in such request as are specified in the written notification given by such Holder or Holders; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such Registration pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 if the Holders of Registrable Securities, together with the Holders of any other equity securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such Registration, propose to sell the Registrable Securities and such other equity securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $10,000,000. The Company shall maintain each Shelf in accordance with the terms hereof, and shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, and supplements as may be necessary to keep such Shelf continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities included on such Shelf. In the event the Company files a Shelf on Form S-1, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to convert the Form S-1 to a Form S-3 as soon as practicable after the Company is eligible to use Form S-3.
2.3.2 If any Shelf ceases to be effective under the Securities Act for any reason at any time while Registrable Securities included thereon are still outstanding, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable cause such Shelf to again become effective under the Securities Act (including obtaining the prompt withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf), and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable amend such Shelf in a manner reasonably expected to result in the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf or file an additional registration statement (a “Subsequent Shelf Registration”) registering the resale of all Registrable Securities including on such Shelf, and pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder. If a Subsequent Shelf Registration is filed, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to (i) cause such Subsequent Shelf Registration to become effective under the Securities Act as promptly as is reasonably practicable after the filing thereof and (ii) keep such Subsequent Shelf Registration continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities included thereon. Any such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on Form S-3 to the extent that the Company is eligible to use such form. Otherwise, such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on another appropriate form. In the event that any Holder holds Registrable Securities that are not registered for resale on a delayed or continuous basis, the Company, upon request of a Holder shall promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the resale of such Registrable Securities to be covered by either, at the Company’s option, a Shelf (including by means of a post-effective amendment) or a Subsequent Shelf Registration and cause the same to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and such Shelf or Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be subject to the terms hereof; provided, however, the Company shall only be required to cause such Registrable Securities to be so covered once annually after inquiry of the Holders.
2.3.3 At any time and from time to time after a Shelf has been declared effective by the Commission, the Sponsor may request to sell all or any portion of its Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering that is registered pursuant to the Shelf (each, an “Underwritten Shelf Takedown”); provided that the Company shall only be obligated to effect an Underwritten Shelf Takedown if such offering shall include securities with a total offering price (including piggyback securities and before deduction of underwriting discounts) reasonably expected to exceed, in the aggregate, $10,000,000. All requests for Underwritten Shelf Takedowns shall be made by giving written notice to the Company at least 48 hours prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown, which shall specify the approximate number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold in the Underwritten Shelf Takedown and the expected price range (net of underwriting discounts and commissions) of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown. The Company shall include in any Underwritten Shelf Takedown the securities requested to be included by any holder (each, a “Takedown Requesting Holder”) at least 24 hours prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown pursuant to written contractual piggyback registration rights of such holder (including to those set forth herein). The Sponsor shall have the right to select the underwriter(s) for such offering (which shall consist of one or more reputable nationally recognized investment banks), subject to the Company’s prior approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to this subsection 2.3.3 shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof.
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2.3.4 If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Shelf Takedown, in good faith, advises the Company, the Sponsor and the Takedown Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Sponsor and the Takedown Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Shelf Takedown, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Sponsor that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Class A Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of the Takedown Requesting Holders, if any, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities, determined pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Takedown Requesting Holder has so requested to be included in such Underwritten Shelf Takedown.
2.3.5 The Sponsor and the Takedown Requesting Holders (if any) shall have the right to withdraw from an Underwritten Shelf Takedown for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of its intention to withdraw from such Underwritten Shelf Takedown prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with an Underwritten Shelf Takedown prior to a withdrawal under this subsection 2.3.5.
2.4 Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (A) during the period starting with the date 60 days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date 120 days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the executive chairman of the Board or the chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the Company stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than 30 days; provided, however, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than once in any 12-month period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Company shall not be required to effect or permit any Registration or cause any Registration Statement to become effective, with respect to any Registrable Securities held by any Holder, until after the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-Up Period or the Private Placement Lock-Up Period, as the case may be.
ARTICLE 3
COMPANY PROCEDURES
3.1 General Procedures. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates an initial Business Combination the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use commercially reasonable to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible:
3.1.1 prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold;
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3.1.2 prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be reasonably requested by the Holders with Registrable Securities registered on such Registration Statement or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;
3.1.3 prior to filing a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders;
3.1.4 prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject;
3.1.5 cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
3.1.6 provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;
3.1.7 advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued;
3.1.8 at least five days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus (other than by way of a document incorporated by reference) furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities or its counsel;
3.1.9 notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.4 hereof;
3.1.10 permit a representative of the Holders, the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter to participate, at each such person’s own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; provided, however, that such representatives or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information;
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3.1.11 obtain a “cold comfort” letter from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Registration, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort” letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.12 on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.13 in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;
3.1.14 make available to its securityholders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least 12 months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission);
3.1.15 if the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and
3.1.16 otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the Holders, in connection with such Registration.
3.2 Registration Expenses. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the definition of “Registration Expenses,” all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.
3.3 Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements.
3.4 Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than 30 days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.4.
3.5 Reporting Obligations. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell Class A Ordinary Shares held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission, to the extent that such rule or such successor rule is available to the Company), including providing customary legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.
3.6 Limitations on Registration Rights. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) Cantor, the other underwriters in the Offering and/or their designees may not exercise their rights under Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereunder after five (5) and seven (7) years after the effective date of the registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering, respectively, and (ii) Cantor may not exercise its rights under Section 2.1 more than one.
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ARTICLE 4
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
4.1 Indemnification.
4.1.1 The Company agrees to indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers and directors and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) caused by any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder.
4.1.2 In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors, officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) resulting from any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company.
4.1.3 Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.
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4.1.4 The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Company’s or such Holder’s indemnification is unavailable for any reason.
4.1.5 If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to herein, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the indemnifying party’s and indemnified party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this subsection 4.1.5 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection 4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
ARTICLE 5
SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS
5.1 Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at any time and from time to time on and after the date that the Company consummates an initial Business Combination and for so long as the Sponsor holds any Registrable Securities:
5.1.1 The Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to designate three individuals to be appointed or nominated, as the case may be, for election to the Board (including any successor, each, a “Nominee”) by giving written notice to the Company on or before the time such information is reasonably requested by the Board or the Nominating Committee of the Board, as applicable, for inclusion in a proxy statement for a meeting of shareholders provided to the Sponsor.
5.1.2 The Company will, as promptly as practicable, use commercially reasonable to take all necessary and desirable actions (including, without limitation, calling special meetings of the Board and the shareholders and recommending, supporting and soliciting proxies) so that there are three Sponsor Directors serving on the Board at all times.
5.1.3 The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, use commercially reasonable to take all actions necessary to ensure that: (i) each Nominee is included in the Board’s slate of nominees to the shareholders of the Company for each appointment of Directors; and (ii) each Nominee is included in the proxy statement prepared by management of the Company in connection with soliciting proxies for every meeting of the shareholders of the Company called with respect to the election of members of the Board, and at every adjournment or postponement thereof, and on every action or approval by written consent of the shareholders of the Company or the Board with respect to the election of members of the Board.
5.1.4 If a vacancy occurs because of the death, disability, disqualification, resignation, or removal of a Sponsor Director or for any other reason, the Sponsor shall be entitled to designate such person’s successor, and the Company will, as promptly as practicable following such designation, use commercially reasonable to take all necessary and desirable actions, to the fullest extent permitted by law, within its control such that such vacancy shall be filled with such successor Nominee.
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5.1.5 If a Nominee is not elected because of such Nominee’s death, disability, disqualification, withdrawal as a nominee or for any other reason, the Sponsor shall be entitled to designate promptly another Nominee and the Company will take all necessary and desirable actions within its control such that the director position for which such Nominee was nominated shall not be filled pending such designation or the size of the Board shall be increased by one and such vacancy shall be filled with such successor Nominee as promptly as practicable following such designation.
5.1.6 As promptly as reasonably practicable following the request of any Sponsor Director, the Company shall enter into an indemnification agreement with such Sponsor Director, in the form entered into with the other members of the Board. The Company shall pay the reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Sponsor Director in connection with his or her services provided to or on behalf of the Company, including attending meetings or events attended explicitly on behalf of the Company at the Company’s request.
5.1.7 The Company shall (i) purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in no less than a reasonable and customary amount and (ii) for so long as a Sponsor Director serves as a Director of the Company, maintain such coverage with respect to such Sponsor Director; provided that upon removal or resignation of such Sponsor Director for any reason, the Company shall take all actions reasonably necessary to extend such directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage for a period of not less than six years from any such event in respect of any act or omission occurring at or prior to such event.
5.1.8 For so long as a Sponsor Director serves as a director of the Company, the Company shall not amend, alter or repeal any right to indemnification or exculpation covering or benefiting any Sponsor Director as and to the extent consistent with applicable law, whether such right is contained in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or another document (except to the extent such amendment or alteration permits the Company to provide broader indemnification or exculpation rights on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto).
5.1.9 Each Nominee may, but does not need to, qualify as “independent” pursuant to listing standards of the Nasdaq (or such other national securities exchange upon which the Company’s securities are then listed).
5.1.10 Any Nominee will be subject to the Company’s customary due diligence process, including its review of a completed questionnaire and a background check. Based on the foregoing, the Company may object to any Nominee provided (a) it does so in good faith, and (b) such objection is based upon any of the following: (i) such Nominee was convicted in a criminal proceeding or is a named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses), (ii) such Nominee was the subject of any order, judgment, or decree not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining such proposed director from, or otherwise limiting, the following activities: (A) engaging in any type of business practice, or (B) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities laws, (iii) such Nominee was the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days the right of such person to engage in any activity described in clause (b)(ii)(B), or to be associated with persons engaged in such activity, (iv) such Nominee was found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Commission to have violated any federal or state securities law, and the judgment in such civil action or finding by the Commission has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, or (v) such Nominee was the subject of, or a party to any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to a violation of any federal or state securities laws or regulations. In the event the Board reasonably finds the Nominee to be unsuitable based upon one or more of the foregoing clauses (b)(i) through (b)(v) and reasonably objects to such Nominee, the Sponsor shall be entitled to propose a different Nominee to the Board within 30 calendar days of the Company’s notice to the Sponsor of its objection to such Nominee and such replacement Nominee shall be subject to the review process outlined above.
5.1.11 The Company shall take all necessary action to cause a Nominee chosen by the Sponsor, at the request of such Nominee, to be elected to the board of directors (or similar governing body) of each material operating subsidiary of the Company. The Nominee, as applicable, shall have the right to attend (in person or remotely) any meetings of the board of directors (or similar governing body or committee thereof) of each subsidiary of the Company.
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ARTICLE 6
MISCELLANEOUS
6.1 Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed, if to the Company, to: 767 Third Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, New York 10017, Attention: B. Ben Baldanza with copy to: Reed Smith LLP, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Ari Edelman, and, if to any Holder, at such Holder’s address or contact information as set forth in the Company’s books and records. Any party hereto may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective 30 days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 6.1.
6.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries.
6.2.1 This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part.
6.2.2 Prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, no Holder may assign or delegate such Holder’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except in connection with a transfer of Registrable Securities by such Holder to a Permitted Transferee.
6.2.3 This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties hereto and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees.
6.2.4 This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement, including Section 4.1 and Section 6.2 hereof.
6.2.5 No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section 6.1 hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 6.2 shall be null and void.
6.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible that is valid and enforceable.
6.4 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.
6.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including all agreements entered into pursuant hereto and all certificates and instruments delivered pursuant hereto and thereto) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, understandings, negotiations and discussions between the parties, whether oral or written.
6.6 Governing Law; Venue. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT (I) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG NEW YORK RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION AND (II) THE VENUE FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE ANY STATE OR FEDERAL COURT IN NEW YORK COUNTY IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
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6.7 WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, COUNTERCLAIM OR OTHER PROCEEDING (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, OR THE ACTIONS OF THE SPONSOR IN THE NEGOTIATION, ADMINISTRATION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT HEREOF.
6.8 Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority-in-interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question, (which majority interest must include Cantor if such amendment or modification affects in any way the rights of Cantor hereunder) compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in its capacity as a Holder of Registrable Securities, in a manner that is materially different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party.
6.9 Titles and Headings. Titles and headings of sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision of this Agreement.
6.10 Waivers and Extensions. Any party to this Agreement may waive any right, breach or default which such party has the right to waive; provided that such waiver will not be effective against the waiving party unless it is in writing, is signed by such party, and specifically refers to this Agreement. Waivers may be made in advance or after the right waived has arisen or the breach or default waived has occurred. Any waiver may be conditional. No waiver of any breach of any agreement or provision herein contained shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or succeeding breach thereof nor of any other agreement or provision herein contained. No waiver or extension of time for performance of any obligations or acts shall be deemed a waiver or extension of the time for performance of any other obligations or acts.
6.11 Remedies Cumulative. In the event that the Company fails to observe or perform any covenant or agreement to be observed or performed under this Agreement, the Holders may proceed to protect and enforce its rights by suit in equity or action at law, whether for specific performance of any term contained in this Agreement or for an injunction against the breach of any such term or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Agreement or to enforce any other legal or equitable right, or to take any one or more of such actions, without being required to post a bond. None of the rights, powers or remedies conferred under this Agreement shall be mutually exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other right, power or remedy, whether conferred by this Agreement or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise.
6.12 Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.
6.13 Term. This Agreement shall terminate (A) in its entirety upon the earlier of (i) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (ii) the date as of which no Registrable Securities remain outstanding and (B) in part with respect to any Holder upon such Holder ceasing to hold Registrable Securities. The provisions of Section 3.5 and Article IV shall survive any such termination.
[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | ||
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
HOLDERS: | ||
SEMPER PARATUS SPONSOR LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
Philippe J. Kurzweil | ||
CANTOR, FITZGERALD & CO. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement]
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Exhibit 10.3
PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT, dated as of [________], 2021 (as it may from time to time be amended, this “Agreement”), is entered into by and between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Semper Paratus Sponsor LLC (the “Purchaser”).
WHEREAS, the Company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of acquiring one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”);
WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate an initial public offering of the Company’s units to be lead-managed by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (the “Public Offering”), with each unit (each, a “Unit”) consisting of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per ordinary share (each, a “Share”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant, (each, a “Warrant”) entitling the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share; and
WHEREAS, the Purchaser has agreed to purchase, at a price of $10.00 per Unit, an aggregate of 1,210,000 Units (the “Private Placement Units”), with each Private Placement Unit consisting of one Share and one-half of one Warrant.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby, intending legally to be bound, agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
1. | Authorization, Purchase and Sale; Terms of the Private Placement Units. |
(a) | Authorization of the Private Placement Units. The Company has duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) to the Purchaser. |
(b) | Purchase and Sale of the Private Placement Units. Simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering or on such earlier time and date as may be mutually agreed by the Purchaser and the Company (the “Closing Date”), the Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall purchase from the Company, an aggregate of 1,210,000 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $12,100,000 (the “Purchase Price”). Purchaser shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, on the Closing Date of the Public Offering. On the Closing Date, upon the payment by the Purchaser of the Purchase Price, the Company, at its option, shall deliver a certificate evidencing the Private Placement Units purchased on such date duly registered in the Purchaser’s name to the Purchaser or effect such delivery in book-entry form. |
(c) | Terms of the Private Placement Unit. Each Private Placement Unit shall be identical to the Units to be sold by the Company in the Public Offering, except that: |
(i) | The undersigned agrees not to seek conversion or seek to sell in any tender offer, in connection with any proposed Business Combination any Class A ordinary shares included in the Private Placement Units; |
(ii) | The Warrants underlying the Private Placement Units (a) will not be redeemable by the Company, (b) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in the registration statement relating to the Public Offering (the “Registration Statement”), and (c) may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement so long as the Private Warrants included in the Private Units are held by the undersigned or its designees or affiliates; |
(iii) | The Private Placement Units (and underlying securities) will not be transferable by the undersigned until 30 days after the consummation of a Business Combination (subject to certain exceptions as described in the Registration Statement and set forth in the warrant agreement governing the Warrants); |
(iv) | On the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company and the Purchaser shall enter into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Purchaser relating to the Private Placement Units and the underlying securities; |
(v) | The undersigned will not participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the Private Placement Units or the underlying securities if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination; |
(vi) | the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) will include any additional terms or restrictions as is customary in other similarly structured blank check company offerings or as may be reasonably required by the underwriters in order to consummate the Public Offering, which terms or restrictions will be described in the Registration Statement; and |
(vii) | The Warrants underlying the Private Placement Units shall be terminated upon the dissolution of the Company or in the event that the Company does not consummate an initial Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time to time. |
(d) | The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that the Private Placement Units and their component parts and the related registration rights will be deemed compensation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and will therefore, pursuant to Rule 5110(g) of the FINRA Manual, be subject to lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales in the IPO, subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(2). Additionally, the Private Placement Units and their component parts and the related registration rights may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of such securities by any person during the foregoing 180 day period following the effective date of the Registration Statement except to any underwriter or selected dealer participating in the IPO and the bona fide officers or partners of the undersigned. | |
2. | Representations and Warranties of the Company. As a material inducement to the Purchaser to enter into this Agreement and purchase the Private Placement Units, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that: |
(a) | Incorporation and Corporate Power. The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
(b) | Authorization; No Breach. |
(i) | The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) have been duly authorized by the Company as of the Closing Date. This Agreement constitutes the valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law). Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms of this Agreement, the Private Placement Units (and underlying securities) will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms as of the Closing Dates. |
(ii) | The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities), the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) and compliance with, the respective terms hereof by the Company, do not and will not as of the Closing Date: (A) conflict with or result in a breach of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (B) constitute a default under, (C) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Company’s share capital or assets under, (D) result in a violation of, or (E) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the memorandum and articles of association of the Company (in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated Public Offering), or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws. |
(iii) | Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with and payment pursuant to the terms hereof and the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company and registration in the register of members of the Company, the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) will be duly and validly issued as fully paid and non-assessable. On the date of issuance of the Private Placement Units, the underlying securities shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Purchaser will have good title to the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities), free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (A) transfer restrictions hereunder and under the other agreements contemplated hereby, (B) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (C) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Purchaser. |
(c) | Governmental Consents. No permit, consent, approval or authorization of, or declaration to or filing with, any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation by the Company of any other transactions contemplated hereby. |
(d) | Regulation D Qualification. Neither the Company nor, to its actual knowledge, any of its officers, directors or beneficial shareholders of 20% or more of its outstanding securities, has experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). |
3. | Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement and issue and sell the Private Placement Units to the Purchaser, the Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that: |
(a) | Organization and Requisite Authority. The Purchaser is a limited liability company duly formed, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Purchaser. The Purchaser possesses all requisite limited liability company power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
(b) | Authorization; No Breach. |
(i) | This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law). |
(ii) | The execution and delivery by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the Purchaser do not and shall not as of each Closing Date conflict with or result in a breach by the Purchaser of the terms, conditions or provisions of any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the Purchaser is subject. |
(c) | Investment Representations. |
(i) | The Purchaser is acquiring the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities), for the Purchaser’s own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof. |
(ii) | The Purchaser is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act and the Purchaser has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. | |
(iii) | The Purchaser understands that the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) are being offered and will be sold to the Purchaser in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire such Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities). |
(iv) | The Purchaser decided to enter into this Agreement not as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. |
(v) | The Purchaser has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) which have been requested by the Purchaser. The Purchaser has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The Purchaser understands that its investment in the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities). |
(vi) | The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Private Placement Units (or the underlying securities) or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Private Placement Units (or the underlying securities) by the Purchaser nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Private Placement Units (or the underlying securities). |
(vii) | The Purchaser understands that: (A) the offer and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) has not been and is not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) the offer and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) is subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (B) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the offer and sale of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. The Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) will bear a legend and appropriate “stop transfer” instructions (or an appropriate notation if securities are issued in book entry form) relating to the foregoing. The Purchaser further understands that the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before and after an initial Business Combination, are deemed to be “underwriters” under the Securities Act when reselling the securities of a blank check company. Based on that position, Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act would not be available for resale transactions of the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) until the 1-year anniversary following consummation of an Business Combination despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144. | |
(viii) | The Purchaser has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knows of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities) in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The Purchaser has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities). The Purchaser can afford a complete loss of its investment in the Private Placement Units (and the underlying securities). |
4. | Conditions of the Purchaser’s Obligations. The obligations of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Private Placement Units are subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions: |
(a) | Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made. |
(b) | Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before such Closing Date. |
(c) | No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
(d) | Registration Rights Agreement. The Company shall have entered into a registration rights agreement on terms satisfactory to the Purchaser. |
(e) | Corporate Consents. The Company shall have obtained the consent of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units. |
5. | Conditions of the Company’s Obligations. The obligations of the Company to the Purchaser under this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions: | |
(a) | Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made. |
(b) | Performance. The Purchaser shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or before such Closing Date. |
(c) | No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
(d) | Registration Rights Agreement. The Company shall have entered into a registration rights agreement on terms satisfactory to the Company. |
6. | Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time after December 31, 2021, upon the election by either the Company or the Purchaser solely as to itself upon written notice to the other parties if the closing of the Public Offering does not occur prior to such date. |
7. | Survival of Representations and Warranties. All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive each Closing Date. |
8. | Definitions. Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the Registration Statement. |
9. | Miscellaneous. |
(a) | Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, other than assignments by the Purchaser to affiliates thereof. |
(b) | Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this Agreement. |
(c) | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. |
(d) | Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation. | |
(e) | Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof. |
(f) | Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto. |
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
COMPANY: | ||
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
PURCHASER: | ||
SEMPER PARATUS SPONSOR LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Exhibit 10.4
UNIT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
This UNIT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of the [ ]th day of October 2021, by and between Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (the “Subscriber”).
WHEREAS, the Company desires to sell to the Subscriber on a private placement basis (the “Offering”) an aggregate of 150,000 units (the “Units”) of the Company, each Unit comprised of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”) and one-half of one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Ordinary Share (“Warrant”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. The Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants are hereinafter referred to as the “Warrant Shares”. The Ordinary Shares underlying the Units (excluding the Warrant Shares) are hereinafter referred to as the “Placement Shares.” The Warrants underlying the Units are hereinafter referred to as the “Placement Warrants.” The Units, Placement Shares, Placement Warrants and Warrant Shares, collectively, are hereinafter referred to as the “Securities.” Each whole Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 during the period commencing on the later of (i) twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Company’s initial public offering of units (the “IPO”) and (ii) 30 days following the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (the “Business Combination”), as such term is defined in the registration statement in connection with the IPO, as amended at the time it becomes effective (the “Registration Statement”), and expiring on the fifth anniversary of the consummation of the Business Combination (provided that, so long as the Placement Warrants are held by the Subscriber or its designees, the Subscriber or its designees will not be permitted to exercise such Placement Warrants after the five year anniversary of the effective date of the Registration Statement); and
WHEREAS, the Subscriber wishes to purchase an aggregate of 150,000 Units, and the Company wishes to accept such subscription from the Subscriber.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants hereinafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and Subscriber hereby agree as follows:
1. Agreement to Subscribe
1.1. Purchase and Issuance of the Units. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, the Subscriber hereby agrees to purchase from the Company, and the Company hereby agrees to sell to the Subscriber, on the Closing Date (as defined below) the Units in consideration of the payment of the Purchase Price (as defined below). On the Closing Date, the Company shall, at its option, deliver to the Subscriber the certificates representing the Units purchased or effect such delivery in book-entry form.
1.2. Purchase Price. As payment in full for the Initial Units being purchased under this Agreement, the Subscriber shall pay $1,500,000 (the “Purchase Price”) by wire transfer of immediately available funds or by such other method as may be reasonably acceptable to the Company, to the Company or to the trust account (the “Trust Account”) at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee (“Continental”), on or prior to the Closing Date.
1.3. Closing. The closing of the purchase and sale of the Initial Units shall take place simultaneously with the closing of the IPO (the “Closing Date”). The closing of the purchase and sale of the Units shall take place at the offices of Reed Smith LLP, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York, 10022, or such other place as may be agreed upon by the parties hereto.
1.4 Conditions to Closing. The obligation of the Subscriber to purchase and pay for the Units as provided herein shall be subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 5 of the Underwriting Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Subscriber, as representative of the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriting Agreement”).
1.5 Termination. This Agreement and each of the obligations of the undersigned shall be null and void and without effect if a Closing does not occur prior to December 31, 2021.
2. Representations and Warranties of Subscriber
Subscriber represents and warrants to the Company that:
2.1. No Government Recommendation or Approval. Subscriber understands that no federal or state agency has passed upon or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Company or the Offering of the Securities.
2.2. Accredited Investor. Subscriber represents that it is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and acknowledges that the sale contemplated hereby is being made in reliance, among other things, on a private placement exemption to “accredited investors” under the Securities Act and similar exemptions under state law.
2.3. Intent. Subscriber is purchasing the Securities solely for investment purposes, for Subscriber’s own account (and/or for the account or benefit of its members or affiliates, as permitted, pursuant to the terms hereof), and not with a view to the distribution thereof.
2.4. Restrictions on Transfer. Subscriber acknowledges and understands the Units are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering in the United States within the meaning of the Securities Act. The Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act and, if in the future Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Securities, such Securities may be offered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only (A) pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, (B) pursuant to an exemption from registration under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, if available, or (C) pursuant to any other available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and in each case in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state or any other jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Subscriber acknowledges and understands the Securities are subject to transfer restrictions as described in Section 7 hereof. Subscriber agrees that if any transfer of its Securities or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition precedent to any such transfer, Subscriber may be required to deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company with respect to such transfer. Absent registration or another available exemption from registration, Subscriber agrees it will not resell the Securities (unless otherwise permitted pursuant to the terms hereof). Subscriber further acknowledges that because the Company is a shell company, Rule 144 may not be available to Subscriber for the resale of the Securities until the one year anniversary following consummation of the initial Business Combination of the Company, despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer restrictions.
2.5. Sophisticated Investor.
(i) Subscriber is sophisticated in financial matters and is able to evaluate the risks and benefits of the investment in the Securities.
(ii) Subscriber is aware that an investment in the Securities is highly speculative and subject to substantial risks because, among other things, (a) the Securities are subject to transfer restrictions and have not been registered under the Securities Act and therefore cannot be sold unless subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available and (b) Subscriber has waived its redemption rights with respect to the Securities as set forth in Section 5 hereof, and the Securities held by the Subscriber are not entitled to, and have no right, interest or claim to any monies held in the Trust Account, and accordingly Subscriber may suffer a loss of a portion or all of its investment in the Securities. Subscriber is able to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Securities for an indefinite period of time.
2.6. Organization and Authority. Subscriber is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its state of incorporation or formation and it possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.7. Authority. This Agreement has been validly authorized, executed and delivered by Subscriber and is a valid and binding agreement enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the general principles of equity and to bankruptcy or other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally.
2.8. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by Subscriber of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (i) Subscriber’s charter documents, (ii) any agreement or instrument to which Subscriber is a party or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which Subscriber is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which Subscriber is subject.
2.9. No Legal Advice from Company. Subscriber acknowledges it has had the opportunity to review this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other agreements entered into between the parties hereto with Subscriber’s own legal counsel and investment and tax advisors. Except for any statements or representations of the Company made in this Agreement and the other agreements entered into between the parties hereto, Subscriber is relying solely on its counsel and advisors and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its representatives or agents for legal, tax or investment advice with respect to this investment, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the securities laws of any jurisdiction.
2.10. Reliance on Representations and Warranties. The Subscriber understands the Units are being offered and sold to the Subscriber in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements under the Securities Act, and analogous provisions in the laws and regulations of various states, and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Subscriber set forth in this Agreement in order to determine the applicability of such provisions.
2.11. No General Solicitation. Subscriber is not subscribing for the Units as a result of or subsequent to any general solicitation or general advertising, including but not limited to any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine, or similar media or broadcast over television or radio, or presented at any seminar or meeting or in a registration statement with respect to the IPO filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
2.12. Legend. Subscriber acknowledges and agrees the certificates evidencing each of the Securities shall bear a restrictive legend (the “Legend”), in form and substance substantially as set forth in Section 4 hereof.
3. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company
The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Subscriber that:
3.1. Valid Issuance of Ordinary Shares. The total number of shares of all classes which the Company has authority to issue is 200,000,000 Ordinary Shares, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”), and 1,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value per share (“Preference Shares”). As of the date hereof, the Company has issued and outstanding 11,983,333 Class B Ordinary Shares (of which up to 1,530,000 Class B Ordinary Shares are subject to forfeiture as described in the Registration Statement), no Ordinary Shares and no Preference Shares. All of the issued ordinary shares of the Company have been duly authorized, validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable.
3.2 Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and that certain warrant agreement to be entered into between the Company and Continental, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”), as the case may be, each of the Units, Placement Shares, Placement Warrants and Warrant Shares (after issuance) will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. On the date of issuance of the Units, the Warrant Shares shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement, as the case may be, Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Units, Placement Shares and Placement Warrants, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder and (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws.
3.3. Organization and Qualification. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has the requisite corporate power to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now being conducted.
3.4. Authorization; Enforcement. (i) The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof, (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no further consent or authorization of the Company or its Board of Directors or shareholders is required, and (iii) this Agreement constitutes valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium, reorganization, or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by equitable principles of general application and except as enforcement of rights to indemnity and contribution may be limited by federal and state securities laws or principles of public policy.
3.5. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not (i) result in a violation of the Company’s certificate of incorporation or by-laws, (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default under any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or (iii) any law statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject. Other than any SEC or state securities filings which may be required to be made by the Company subsequent to the Closing, and any registration statement which may be filed pursuant thereto, the Company is not required under federal, state or local law, rule or regulation to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency or self-regulatory entity in order for it to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement or issue the Units, Placement Shares, Placement Warrants or Warrant Shares in accordance with the terms hereof.
3.6. Additional Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company set forth in the Underwriting Agreement are hereby incorporated herein.
4. Legends
4.1. Legend. The Company will issue the Units, Placement Shares and Placement Warrants, and when issued, the Warrant Shares, purchased by the Subscriber in the name of the Subscriber. The Securities will bear the following Legend and appropriate “stop transfer” instructions:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR SUCH LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND SUCH LAWS WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL FOR THIS CORPORATION, IS AVAILABLE.”
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO LOCKUP PURSUANT TO A UNIT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION AND CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO. AND MAY ONLY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE LOCKUP PURSUANT TO THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE UNIT SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT.”
4.2. Subscriber’s Compliance. Nothing in this Section 4 shall affect in any way the Subscriber’s obligations and agreements to comply with all applicable securities laws upon resale of the Securities.
4.3. Company’s Refusal to Register Transfer of the Securities. The Company shall refuse to register any transfer of the Securities, if in the sole judgment of the Company such purported transfer would not be made (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and (ii) in compliance herewith.
4.4 Registration Rights. The Subscriber will be entitled to certain registration rights which will be governed by a registration and shareholder rights agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) to be entered into between, among others, the Subscriber and the Company, on or prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Subscriber may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, after the effective date of the Registration Statement and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.
5. Waiver of Liquidation Distributions.
In connection with the Securities purchased pursuant to this Agreement, Subscriber hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distributions of the amounts in the Trust Account with respect to the Securities, whether (i) in connection with the exercise of redemption rights if the Company consummates the Business Combination, (ii) in connection with any tender offer conducted by the Company prior to a Business Combination, (iii) upon the Company’s redemption of Ordinary Shares sold in the Company’s IPO upon the Company’s failure to timely complete the Business Combination or (iv) in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not timely complete the Business Combination or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity. In the event Subscriber purchases Units or Ordinary Shares in the IPO or in the aftermarket, any additional Ordinary Shares so purchased shall be eligible to receive the redemption value of such Ordinary Shares upon the same terms offered to all other purchasers of Units in the IPO or Units or Ordinary Shares in the aftermarket in the event the Company fails to consummate the Business Combination. Nothing herein shall preclude Subscriber from making any claim or seeking recourse against the Company’s funds held outside of the Trust Account or seeking to enforce the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
6. Terms of Placement Warrants. Each Placement Warrant shall have the terms set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
7. Lock-Up Period.
7.1. The Subscriber agrees that it shall not Transfer any Securities until 30 days following the consummation of the Business Combination; provided, however, that Transfers of Securities are permitted (a) to the Company’s officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of the Company’s officers or directors or any affiliate of Subscriber or to any member(s) of Subscriber or any of their affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to the completion of the Business Combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of the state of incorporation or formation of Subscriber or Subscriber’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of Subscriber or (h) in the event of the Company’s liquidation, merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the Business Combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the Transfer restrictions herein.
7.2. For purposes of Section 7.1, the term “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any of the Securities, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any of the Securities, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such Securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
7.3 In addition to the restrictions on transfer described in Section 7.1, Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that the Units and their component parts and the related registration rights will be deemed compensation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and will therefore, pursuant to Rule 5110(e) of the FINRA Manual, be subject to lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales in the IPO, subject to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). Additionally, the Units and their component parts and the related registration rights may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated during the foregoing 180 day period following the effective date of the Registration Statement except to any underwriter or selected dealer participating in the IPO and the bona fide officers or partners of any Subscriber and any such participating underwriter or selected dealer. Additionally, the Units and their component parts and the related registration rights will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales in the IPO.
8. Terms of the Units and Placement Warrants
The Units and their component parts are substantially identical to the units to be offered in the IPO except that: (i) the Units and component parts are subject to the transfer restrictions described in Section 7 hereof, (ii) the Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial holder thereof (or any of its permitted transferees), and may be exercisable on a “cashless” basis if held by Subscriber or its permitted transferees, as further described in the Warrant Agreement, and (iii) the Units and component parts are being purchased pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and will become freely tradable only after the expiration of the lockup described above in clause (i) and they are registered pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement or an exemption from registration is available, and the restrictions described above in clause (i) has expired.
9. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for agreements made and to be wholly performed within such state. The parties hereto hereby waive any right to a jury trial in connection with any litigation pursuant to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
10. Assignment; Entire Agreement; Amendment
10.1. Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any rights hereunder may be assigned by any party to any other person other than by Subscriber to a person agreeing to be bound by the terms hereof, including the transfer restrictions contained in Section 7 hereof.
10.2. Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between the parties as to the subject matter thereof and merges and supersedes all prior discussions, agreements and understandings of any and every nature among them.
10.3. Amendment. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended, waived, discharged or terminated other than by a written instrument signed by all of the parties hereto.
10.4. Binding upon Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and to their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and permitted assigns.
11. Notices
11.1 Notices. Unless otherwise provided herein, any notice or other communication to a party hereunder shall be sufficiently given if in writing and personally delivered or sent by facsimile or other electronic transmission with copy sent in another manner herein provided or sent by courier (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall include Federal Express or other recognized overnight courier) or mailed to said party by certified mail, return receipt requested, at its address provided for herein or such other address as either may designate for itself in such notice to the other. Communications shall be deemed to have been received when delivered personally, on the scheduled arrival date when sent by next day or 2nd-day courier service, or if sent by facsimile upon receipt of confirmation of transmittal or, if sent by mail, then three days after deposit in the mail. If given by electronic transmission, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered (a) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the shareholder has consented to receive notice; (b) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate notice to the shareholder of such specific posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice; and (c) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the shareholder.
12. Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
13. Survival; Severability
13.1. Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the parties hereto shall survive the Closing Date.
13.2. Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect without said provision; provided that no such severability shall be effective if it materially changes the economic benefit of this Agreement to any party.
14. Headings.
The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
COMPANY: | |
SEMPER PARATUS | |
ACQUISITION CORPORATION |
By: |
Name: | ||
Title: |
SUBSCRIBER: | |
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO. |
By: |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Exhibit 23.1
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent
We consent to the inclusion in this Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement of Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated June 9, 2021, except for Note 6, as to which the date is October 7, 2021 and for Note 8, as to which the date is October 22, 2021, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue to as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of the Company as of April 30, 2021 and for the period from April 21, 2021 (inception) through April 30, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
Los Angeles, CA
October 22, 2021
Exhibit 99.4
SEMPER PARATUS ACQUISITION CORPORATION
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER
I. | Purpose |
The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors of Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation , a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), shall have responsibility for the compensation of the Company’s executive officers, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”), and for incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans as further provided in this Charter.
II. | Organization |
The Committee shall consist of two or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the applicable independence and other compensation committee membership requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, The Nasdaq Global Market and any other applicable regulatory requirements subject to any exceptions or cure periods that are applicable pursuant to the foregoing requirements and the phase-in periods permitted under the rules of The Nasdaq Global Market under which the Committee is required to have only one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing and all independent members within one year of listing.
At least one member of the Committee shall have experience in matters relating to executive compensation either as a professional or as a business executive. At least two members shall qualify as (a) “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including Treasury Regulations Section 1.162-27 (“Outside Directors”), and (b) “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Section 16 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (“Non-Employee Directors”).
Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board and may be removed by the Board at any time; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than two members, then the Board must at the same time appoint an additional member to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least two members who qualifies as an (a) Outside Directors and (b) Non-Employee Directors. The Committee’s chairperson shall be designated by the Board or, if not so designated, the members of the Committee shall elect a chairperson by a vote of the majority of the full Committee.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees from time to time as it sees fit, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and The Nasdaq Capital Market.
III. | Meetings |
The Committee shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings shall be called by the chairperson of the Committee or, if there is no chairperson, by a majority of the members of the Committee. Meetings may be held telephonically or by other electronic means to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. Committee actions may be taken by unanimous written resolutions of all the members.
IV. | Authority and Responsibilities |
To fulfill its responsibilities, the Committee shall:
1. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s compensation strategy to ensure it is appropriate to attract, retain and motivate senior management and other key employees. |
2. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the executive compensation philosophy, policies and programs that in the Committee’s judgment support the Company’s overall business strategy and review and discuss, at least annually, the material risks associated with executive compensation structure, policies and programs to determine whether such structure, policies and programs encourage excessive risk-taking and to evaluate compensation policies and practices that could mitigate any such risk. |
3. | On an annual basis, review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Company’s CEO, evaluate the CEO’s performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and approve CEO compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating, determining and approving the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act (the “Say-on-Pay Vote”) and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. The CEO shall not be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
4. | On an annual basis, review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Company’s other executive officers, evaluate the executive officers’ performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating and making recommendations with respect to the long-term incentive component of executive officer compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act (the “Say-on-Pay Vote”) and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. No executive officer may be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
5. | Review on an annual basis and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, if any. With respect to each such plan, the Committee shall have responsibility for: |
(a) | implementing and administering the plan; |
(b) | setting performance targets under all annual bonus and long-term incentive compensation plans as appropriate and committing to writing any and all performance targets for executive officers who may be “covered employees” under applicable laws and regulations; |
(c) | if called for by the plan, certifying that any and all performance targets used for any performance-based equity compensation plans have been met before payment of any executive bonus or compensation or exercise of any executive award granted under any such plans; |
(d) | approving all amendments to, and terminations of, all compensation plans and any awards under such plans; |
(e) | granting any awards under any performance-based annual bonus, long- term incentive compensation and equity compensation plans to executive officers or current employees with the potential to become the CEO or an executive officer, including share options and other equity rights (e.g., restricted shares and share purchase rights); | |
(f) | approving which executive officers are entitled to awards under the Company’s share option plans; and |
(g) | approving repurchases of securities from terminated employees. |
In reviewing the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, the Committee may consider the plan’s administrative costs, current plan features relative to any proposed new features, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote and the performance of the plan’s internal and external administrators if any duties have been delegated.
6. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval any employment agreement or compensatory transaction with an executive officer of the Company involving compensation in excess of $120,000 per year. |
7. | Establish and periodically review policies concerning perquisite benefits and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefits arrangements for officers and employees of the Company and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for officers and employees of the Company. |
8. | Determine and recommend to the Board for approval the Company’s policy with respect to change-of-control or “parachute” payments. In reviewing the Company’s policy with respect to change of control or “parachute” payments, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote on “parachute” payments, if any. |
9. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters. |
10. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the compensation of directors for their service to the Board. Review, evaluate and recommend changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration of directors. |
11. | Approve compensation awards, including individual awards, as may be required to comply with applicable tax and state corporate laws. |
12. | Review the Company’s compensation disclosures in its annual proxy statement and its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and assist management in complying with proxy statement and annual report requirements. Review and discuss the Company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) with management and based on such review and discussion, determine whether to recommend to the Board that such compensation disclosures and CD&A be disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or annual proxy statement filed with the SEC, as applicable. |
13. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the frequency with which the Company will conduct Say-on-Pay Votes, taking into account the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on frequency of Say-on-Pay Votes required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and review and recommend to the Board for approval the proposals regarding the Say-on-Pay Vote and the frequency of the Say-on-Pay Vote to be included in the Company’s proxy statement filed with the SEC. |
14. | Prepare any report required by applicable rules and regulations or listing standards, including reports on executive compensation required by the SEC to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, or, if the Company does not file a proxy statement, in the Company’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the SEC. |
15. | Review and assess the adequacy of this Charter annually and recommend to the Board any changes deemed appropriate by the Committee. |
16. | Review its own performance annually. |
17. | Report regularly to the Board. |
18. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s by-laws and governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate. |
V. | Resources |
The Committee shall have the authority to retain or terminate, at its sole discretion, compensation consultants, independent legal counsel or other advisors (collectively, “Advisors”) to assist the Committee in its responsibilities and shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of such Advisors. Before retaining an Advisor (other than in-house legal counsel and any Advisor whose role is limited to consulting on broad-based, non-discriminatory plans or providing information that is not customized in particular for the Company (as described in Item 407(e)(3)(iii) of Regulation S-K), the Committee shall consider the independence of such Advisor, including any independence factors that it is required to consider by law or The Nasdaq Global Market rules.
The chairperson of the Committee, at the request of any member of the Committee, may request that any officer, employee or advisor of the Company attend a meeting of the Committee or otherwise respond to Committee requests.
The Committee shall have the sole authority to determine the terms of engagement and the extent of funding necessary (and to be provided by the Company) for payment of compensation to any Advisors or other professionals retained to advise the Committee and ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.